Lion in the Basement Growing up in the Gallo Crime Family

by Frank DiMatteo

  Profaci mobster, Johnny "Bath Beach" Oddo, a "captain, a mademan with his own crew" under Joseph Magliocco who was second in command to Joe Profaci was accustomed to stopping in Red Hook. He quickly heard of the Gallo brothers and their exploits and took them under his wing.

  At a point in the late 1950's Joey was so crazy that some capo's asked if Joey was on drugs, Larry and Albert said no. Then they wanted him to lock himself in a room for a couple of days with a few guys to watch and see if he was on junk. He did, all they found out was that he was fucking crazy! Joey was one of a kind, a throwback from the 1930's. It was the 50's but Joey acted like it was the 30's.

  The brothers were initially consigned to small time street crimes but worked their way up the ladder to become the Profaci family's muscle under the regime of Frankie "Shots" Abbatemarco, who ran the Profaci's numbers rackets, earning around 1 million a year. These guys had to have balls of steel in those wild early days or the streets would eat you alive.

  After breaking a lot of legs and a few heads for boss Joseph Profaci, they were given the order to commit one of the biggest hits in mob history, a record that still stands today.

  Joey, Larry, and Carmine Persico, also a young Brooklyn street hood, along with Larry's top shooter Joe "Jelly" Gioelli got the order to kill a boss. It wasn't any boss, it was Albert Anastasia, the high lord executioner among many other names in the underworld.

  Anastasia had run "Murder Inc", for many years. A real psychopath, had about ten killings under his belt by the time he was twenty-five, starting from the 1920's. In the 1950's he worked his way up in the Mangano crime family, one of the original crime family that run Brooklyn, then suddenly Albert was the boss of the family, after killing Vincent and Philip Mangano. Albert was one tough fuck.

  The four of them, on October 25,1957, with Joey and Jelly doing the actual shooting, assassinated Anastasia while he was relaxing in a barber's chair to get his regular haircut and shave at the Park Sheraton hotel barber shop. Albert was on the shit list from the "commission" for the shooting of Arnold Schuster for ratting on Willie Sutton, then selling buttons for cash, which mean making a guy a made man in the family, It was just a matter of time.

  Now, here is the funny part of the story. Albert's driver Anthony "Coppy"Coppola, said he was outside taking the sun. His bodyguard James Squillante said he ran out when he saw the shooters come in. James was Albert's top killer, just a month removed from killing Frank Scalice, Albert's under boss, now that's funny! The truth is they were told by Vito Genovese and Carlo Gambino to take a walk or they were dead, they took the walk. Trust me, James would have been dead if he was there when Joey and Jelly came in shooting.

  When Joey returned to President Street, he wore a big smile on his face and told the rest of the crew to refer to him and the other members of the Anastasia hit squad as "The Barber Shop Quartet".

  Not long after the Anastasia killing, Joey, Larry, and Carmine became "made men" in the Profaci family. Even though Joe Profica was against it, they earned it and got their buttons.

  The following year, 1958, Joey and Larry had to travel down to Washington DC, where the McClellan Committee was waiting for their testimony. Joey walked inside a room and was face to face with Bobby Kennedy, who was staring him in the eye. Joey said "Great rug to play a crap game on". Joey transformed into his version of Udo, only now he owned it. He became "Crazy Joey" for the cameras. When Larry and Joey went in front of the committee all their answers to their questions were, "I respectfully decline to answer because I honestly believe my answer might tend to incriminate me".

  When Joey and Larry got back to President Street, Joey told the crew that Bobby Kennedy was a fag, and that he warned the nation's Attorney General that he was "fucking with Joey Gallo". Joey said It felt good telling the little prick to go fuck himself!

  At this point the Gallo brother's had a crew of over 50 guys who wanted to be with them and was waiting to see their next move.

  Lawrence "Larry" Gallo Born November 23rd 1927

  Joseph "The Blond" Gallo, Born July 7th 1929

  Albert "Kid Blast" Gallo, Born June 6th 1930

  51 President Street Headquarters

  Joesph "The Boss" Profaci Born October 2nd 1897

  Carmine "The Snake" Persico Born August 8th 1933

  Albert "Umberto" Anastasia Born September 26th 1902

  Albert Ansatasia killed at the Park Sheraton hotel's barber shop October 25th 1957

  CHAPTER 3

  Armondo "Mondo" Illiano

  Guest writer Sonny Girard

  Before Sonny starts his story, let me tell you how I met Armondo. My father took me with him to President street to "Mondo's club" to meet with Punchy. Mondo is first cousin of Frank "Punchy" Illiano. They were very close and Punchy held most of his meetings there. While there, I met Armando and his mother, her name was Mama Palma. I was young, about six or seven, it was weird standing next to a man that I was taller than, but he was that kind of guy that made you like him.

  Mama Palma, a small woman always dressed in black, who spoke broken English. She treated you like she was your Grandma, all she wanted to do was to feed you. As I got older and started to hang on the block more ofen, I got to know Amondo better, after a while you didn't care that he was a dwarf, he was just one of the guys. He was loyal to Joey and had balls of steel, the little guy had no fear. You had to love the meaning of his name in Latin it means "Army Man", and that was what he was, in "Joey Gallo's Army", I really miss the little guy.

  Here's how the monkey, then the lion got to the block a guy named Tony called Joey and told him he had Monkey, Joey told him to "bring it down", after a few weeks, Joey called him to take back the monkey. It was throwing shit all over the place!

  Then Tony said he had a lion cub named Cleo, Joey said "bring it down", when he brought Cleo down it was Mondo who was in charge of her. We had it on the block for only a few months, Then it started to get big and Mondo couldn't handle her any longer.

  I've heard so many storys from people who said they saw the lion. If that many people would have seen the lion, President Street would have been a circus! Most of the people that saw Cleo was in the crew, or the jerks that owed money.

  From the very first time Mondo saw me on the block he came over to see if I needed anything, and asked "How's Ricky", this went on until the last time I saw him before he died. In fact the last words Mondo said to me was "Hows Ricky", "Hows Dolly", and "are you being a good boy". Then asked if i needed anything. I was in my late thirtys. I cant forget that because it came from a man that was sick and lost everything he had, and still had the time to ask me, "do you need anything", a big man in my eyes. Sorry Sonny for jumping ahead of you, lol.

  A street is nothing more than pavement and brick walls; a neighborhood, just a number of streets close together. A street or neighborhood may have some unique architecture or businesses, but it's still just cement and stone. What makes a street or neighborhood memorable are its people; the characters, good and bad, funny or miserable, people who you don't forget. Armando "Mondo" Illiano, was one of those people.

  When one is barely A four foot tall dwarf, and is an integral part of a mob at war, keeps a lion in his cellar, and cavorts around the area with a German Shepherd that holds illegal numbers receipts under its collar, as Armando was and did, you naturally become regarded as bigger than life. That generated many stories about "Mondo," some true and some not so much, that circulated around the neighborhood and made national media in the case of the lion. Some I had first-hand knowledge at the time, and some I heard of. First my own experiences:

  Armando had a personality bigger than the tallest of the crew. He'd show up on weekend nights to amuse the crowds and enjoy himself to no end. "Mondo" use to stash his bookmaking slips under the collar of his German Shepherd which was as tall, with all fours on the ground, as the little man stood, He kept Joey Gallos lion, Cleo, in the cellar of the social club he operated on President Street, a block or so away from "Brookl
yn's Piers". On many weekend nights he'd show up at the "Cocoa Poodle", the crew's hangout bar on Coney Island Avenue and Cortelyou Road In Brooklyn. On those nights it became part of the expected entertainment to bring the "dwarf" into an open but dark back-room area, tie a red tablecloth around his neck like a cape, sit him on the back of a chair that had been laid on the floor, and have two guys slide the chair out onto the dance floor to the sound of "Batman" being blasted out by the band. As soon as the speeding chair-mobile stopped in the middle of the crowd, the little guy would jump off and start gyrating to the music, bumping against and wiggling under the short skirts of the female dancers! While he may have been small of body, he made a big impression on those who knew him and those who otherwise crossed his path.

  One of the stories I heard about the next day not only illustrates the general fun loving attitude of all of the guys who had to carry guns for protection, but Armando's willingness to take himself with the same humor. As I was told, a few of the guys including Armando were coming back from New Jersey when they had a "fender-bender" with a woman driver. As they pulled over to exchange licenses and registrations, Armando was slipped out of the car, laid on the ground, and covered with one of the guys suit jackets. During the document exchange the woman was led around the side where Armando laid as if he was dead. The woman nearly fainted when she saw him, thinking the accident had cut a full-size man in half!

  Are there more stories about the little tough guy? Sure. There's him showing up with Joey Gallo, who, when asked who the dwarf tagging along was, answered that "Armando was his bodyguard". There was him getting dragged in with a few of the crew after Joe Magnansco was killed. The lineup photo is precious, with Armando in the middle reaching no higher than the other guys midsections. I can imagine "Mondo" answering the detectives when asked if he'd seen the shooter, And answering that "he saw the killer's belt", and if they had a lineup of belts he might recognize it! That was Armando, funny at times, gruff and grouchy sometimes with the guys in the crew who he loved most of all. I find myself daydreaming sometime and reliving a memory of Armando Illiano that I can't pick off the top of my head now, but it won't do any more to paint a better picture than those I've written here, about the "Littlest Toughguy", Armondo "The Dwarf" Illiano.

  Great photo of Armondo Illiano as young man

  A Young Mondo

  Mondo and his brother Jerry

  Mondo Dancing at a Halloween Party

  Mondo dressed like "Little Bo Peep"

  Armondo at his club with his mom and Angleo

  Mondo older at the club

  Armondo with his paisan's

  CHAPTER 4

  The Original Crew

  The Gallo Family was a colorful one filled with all types of characters. They were the most diverse faction during those days. It was rare that traditional families had non-Italians in their employ. Yet the Gallo crew had a few Arabs, a Greek and a Pole. It was a United Nations of underworld criminals. Most other families frowned upon the diversity that they had, claiming that "you can't trust one who is not born into the "life". This was a thorn in Joey Gallo's side for a long time, which gave birth to the scorn he felt for the traditional rules.

  In this chapter we will introduce some of the colorful characters that decorated President Street in the 60's through to the 70's. One popular hoodlum was Joe "Jelly" Gioelli. Joe was a childhood friend of the Gallo's growing up in South Brooklyn. He was short and stocky with wavy black hair and eyes as cold as ice. He became the main muscle for the Gallo's early on. Even though most people don't know he was one of the shooters of the famous Albert "The Mad Hatter" Anastasia assassination. He was also responsible for the disposal of Frankie "Shots" Abbaetemarco. Jelly was loyal to the end. Joe was considered a feared killer and had to be eliminated. That eventually occurred on August 17, 1961 This of course was a big blow to the Gallo brothers.

  During the "war" a few "good men" were taken out much too early. One, Joey "Mags" Magnasco was a product of South Brooklyn a real concrete kind of fella. Joe was a solid player for the Gallo's with hands of steel and a "no holds barred" type of attitude. He developed a deep hatred for Profaci early on, before the war. Joe joined the Gallo's as the war was first announced and unfortunately was the first to be eliminated on a chilly night in October of 1961. He was shot to death outside the Union Street Diner, in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn.

  As I mentioned earlier, the Gallo's welcomed all races to their crew. One non-Italian was Ali "Ali Baba" Hassen Waffa. Ali was an interesting character, one of the few who actually had once held down a legitimate job. He was a cook on a cruise line but spent most of his time in South Brooklyn. He would eventually run a "Shylock" operation as well as gambling dens in many Arab neighborhoods. Ali would become one of the Gallo's top hit-men. He was terminated June 15, 1963 after the boat he was on docked in Hoboken, New Jersey.

  Another close friend of the Gallo's was Louie "Cadillac" Mariani. Mariani joined in the war and was the suspected shooter of Nicky "Jiggs" Forlanos blotched hit in October of 1961. Louie was eliminated two years later in retaliation for the attempted Forlano hit. Years later on April 17, 1964, John Battista and Tony "Fat Tony" Regina were sentenced for the murder of Mariani. Then Joseph "Bats" Cardiello a "Gallo loyalist", a good guy from the neighborhood, one of the brothers from Cardiello's bar gets Killed in 1963.

  The mixed bag of non-Italians was evident with another two Arabs, Louie "The Syrian" Hubella and Sammy "The Syrian" Zahralbam. Louie was a stand-up guy, an original member of Joey's inner circle. A tough World War 11 veteran, Louie ran a lot of the sports betting and loansharking for Joey in the Arab section, along Atlantic Avenue. He was known as a ferocious hit-man, a favorite of the Gallo's. He owned the "Court Terrace Lounge" on Atlantic Avenue where he ran some of his business.

  Louie was instrumental on convincing bar owners to go along with accepting Joey's protection racket, and was also consiglira to the Gallo brothers. He would end up being a pallbearer at Joey's funeral.

  Sammy was another story he did not last long with the Gallo's. A stocky nasty fella, he was the brother-in-law of Louie the Syrian. He helped run his gambling dens and spoke like Edward G Robinson. He was a real ass, and was nasty to the wrong people. When Albert Gallo took over after his brother got killed, many did not approve of his leadership abilities. Sammy was one of them and took off with John "Mooney" Cutrone and Gerry "Chiarz" Basciano.

  One of the most interesting members was Armando "The Dwarf" Illiano. He was Frankie "Punchy" Illiano's cousin. Armando and his mother ran "Longshoreman's Club" which was the Gallo's first hangout. He was a Gallo favorite and one of the most loyal members. Joey kept a lion named "Cleo" in Armando's basement to scare loaners late on their payments. Cleo was given back to the owner after she got too big for Mondo to handle.

  There was one member that stood out for "yours truly" for a long time. Rosario "Roy Roy" Musico, born in 1942, was on President Street, from day one, he lead a wild life. His mother Fran was a petite "firecracker" who had a raspy voice due to her smoking habit and had a tough demeanor. She used to serve the longshoremen from her club where she also took "numbers". Roy Roy, as he was referred to was exposed to the rough and tough surroundings of the club. He became a valuable asset for the Gallo's, as loyal as they come. Roy was in charge of grooming all the young guys that were coming up. He was a ruthless gangster but also a party animal. He could down a bottle a scotch in a course of a night, and smoke a joint with the best of them, but he was rebellious. The rules were "no mustaches, or beards", he would never shave till Larry or Blast would yell at him to shave.

  Another member who was close to the Gallo's and that I personally got to know was Frank "Punchy" Illiano. He was another "tough as nails" member of the President Street crew. Punchy, as he was called, was an amateur boxer when he was younger. Yet he later used his hands on Gallo enemies instead. He was well respected and a loyal member. He ran all the street fairs in South Brookyn, then finally becoming a "made man"
in the 1970's. Punchy was close to my father, Ricky, and stood close till they both passed away. Punchy received some good press when he and a few Gallo members saved six children from a fire on January 29, 1962. He would leave us on January 7, 2104.

  Gennaro "Chitoz" Basciano killed, June 16th 1976, a real South Brooklyn tough guy, born and raised in the heart of Red Hook. He was a stone cold killer, but you would have never know it by speaking to him. He was the right hand man to Joey and Larry, for many years, he could knock you out with one shot. Quite but deadly and loyal, he did a lot of work in the early days. He stuck by Larry and Joey till they died, then left the crew when Blast took over, a good friend and a big loss.

  Then there was a degenerated gambler named Joseph "Cockeyed Butch", Musemeci, always in trouble with Larry. He took care of the gambling out side of the neighborhood for the family. Larry set up an office for him at the "Manhattan Beach Hotel" in Brooklyn. When he got there he sat at the end seat of the bar. He would take all horse bets and sports bets. Ricky was with him at the hotel many nights and said every bet he took in, he would then bet the other way. Larry kept telling him "to stop", one time Larry punched him in the mouth and knocked out two of his front teeth! Butch just kept doing it his way. He lost a ton of money for Larry. He wore glasses as thick as coke bottles, and drank like a fish, he would go to bed with a netting on his head not to mess his hair. He Was a meticulous dresser but not a good looking man. He looked like "Mister Magoo", he was married toa girl that was a niece to Joe Colombo. He left in the 70's, to go back to the Colombo's. Ricky and my mother were close for many years with him and his wife.