Lion in the Basement Growing up in the Gallo Crime Family

by Frank DiMatteo

  Here's a guy nobody liked from day one John "Mooney" Cutrone. Don't know much about him, except that he was "made" by Profaci in the early 50's, well before Larry or Joey got their buttons. I didn't like him, no one liked him, Ricky wanted to kill him. For ten years Ricky used to talk about the different ways he wanted to kill him. That's all I heard Ricky say for years! He was a small man, nasty, always with a puss on. He was close to Larry and Larry liked him, how he got "made" I don't know. I do know, no one had any respect for him and the day the orders came to kill him, seven guys raised there hands to take the hit, three of them never shot a gun he was killed October 5th, 1976.

  Nicky Bianco, who I knew for a shot time was instrumental in the "Gallo Peace Deal", born in Rhode Island, and friends with the "Patriarca" crime family, he came to Brooklyn in the early 60's. Then he gets involved with the Colombo family, then switches back to the Patriarca family, when he was put up to get made. He was a tough one with a few killings under his belt. He was friends with the Gallo brothers and hung out with them till the "shit hit the fan" then moved on. Nicky thought the Gallo brothers had a legit gripe with Profaci, so as the war lingered on Nick went to Raymond Patriarca and asked him to help settle the dispute. Raymond agreed and sent him back to mediate the peace deal with the Profaci's, which he did. Ricky didn't like him he said he was a Gypsy, and let him know his fellings, so there was no love lost between them. Nicky died in jail November 14th, 1994.

  You would have never heard of his name if he wasn't a bodyguard for Joey Gallo, that fucked up morning, when the Colombo crew, broke every rule made by killing Joey Gallo infront of his family in "little Italy", and in this life, its not a good thing to be known as the bodyguard that let his boss get killed. Pete "The Greek" Diapoulos, a Greek hood that ran with the Gallos, was a tall and heavyset guy that always had a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

  He could carry his weight but had a big mouth and no personalty. He met Joey when he was young, he worked as a bartender at the "Coco Poodle", working his way into the Gallo crew. Larry had him run any gambling we had with the Greeks, he wasn't liked by anyone in the crew, but when Joey got out of jail he wanted him as a bodyguard, "Bad Move Joey". I never liked him. But the night of Joey's killing, I have to give him some credit, he was put into a spot that not many guys would have done better. Here's one that always made me "scratch my head". Carmine "The Snake" Persico a violent psychopath, born and raised in South Brooklyn started with the "Garfield Boys", then worked his way up to the "Frankie " shots" crew". He started out loansharking, bookmaking, burglaries and hijacking with his childhood friends Joey and Larry Gallo, then moved up to what he did best, that was to kill. He was one of the shooter on the Anastasia and Abbaermarco killings. I've known him since a kid and know him to be well liked among his crew, did anything asked of him from the boss, but the only loyalty was to himself and his goal to be "The Boss", even double crossing his childhood friend, Larry Gallo by setting him up to be killed. That how he got the name "The Snake".

  There were many other guys that were with the Gallo brothers in the beginning, most of them stayed thoughtout the "Gallo Profaci war", they were shooting at guys or getting shot at, most of the time making little to no money. When the war was over the Gallo's were still officially under Colombo's rule, some guys stood with Larry and some left. This is a little background on some of the charcters. Salvatore "Tough Sally" Balsamo, Sally was a tough guy from South Brooklyn, a good sized man with hands like baseball gloves. He was a money making machine, was big into swag, manly cigarettes, and good with his hands and ready to shoot. He ran Cobble Hill Car Service, for many years, stood till the end. He also had a brother Joey who was with us for a short time. Joseph "Smokey" D'Antuano, Smokey another guy from Red Hook, grew up with the Gallo brothers and would do anything for Larry. He was a chubby bald guy, and was pleasant. He did anything to make money, he ran a sports book, took numbers, owned a car service, left in 1973, with Mooney.

  Johnny" Tarzan" Lusterino, owned a bar on third Ave and Ninth Street in Brooklyn, called the "Blue Beetle". The boys went there often. He came down to President Street and did the cooking during the "war", a tough one and ready to pick up a gun when. He was Killed in 1973.

  Anthony "Abby" Abbaermarco, was Frankie "Shots" son. Joe Profaci, after having his father killed, called him in to whack him, so he went into hiding with the Gallo's, he stood though-out the war, then in the late sixty's got a better deal and went back to the Colombo's.

  Leonard "Lenny Dell" Dello, Anthony "Little Lolly Pop" Carna, Joesph "Big Lolly Pop"Carna, Vincent "Chico' Regina, Salvatore "Sally Boy" Mangiaelli, and a few more went back with the Colombo's, the money was there. The craziest thing about it is that most of these guys put their live's on the line to back up the Gallo brothers, with the "brake away" from Joe Profaci, then walk away, it go's to show you the "power of money".

  Joey "Crazy Joe "Gallo

  A young Carmine Persico

  Frank "Punchy" Illiano and Larry Gallo

  Ricky's Army Photo - 1956

  CHAPTER 5

  Who's Ricky & Dee

  RICHARD "RICKY" DIMATTEO

  The Di Matteo Family originated in Naples, Italy. Richard's grandparents came to America during the turn of the Century, both of Richards parents, Gabriel born June 5th 1899, and Carmina Cassella, born November 29th, 1908 were born in Brooklyn. Shortly after meeting, Gabriel and Carmina went to Bara Lotina, Italy, to marry then returned to America, in the early 1930's. They had their first boy John in 1932, then on March 4th, 1937, Richard Antonio was born at Methodist Episcopal Hospital in Brooklyn. They lived in South Brooklyn at Carroll Street and Third Avenue for many years till moving to the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Richard grewup in a normal poor Italian household. Gabriel worked inconstruction and Carmina worked as a seamstress to make endsmeet.

  My father's life in the "Mob" began in 1958, shortly after he was discharged from the United States Army. Ricky was a high school graduate, quite an accomplishment in those days, especially coming from a poor Italian family. He wound up bouncing around, taking a maintenance job at American Airlines and then discovered that he was interested in boxing, something many poverty stricken youths of that time turned to.

  He embarked on a short lived middleweight boxing career at "Sunny Side Gardens". Ricky got his "lucky break" when Tony Bender found him at one of his boxing matches. Tony needed some muscle for one of his clubs in New York and Ricky was the guy.

  Soon after he hooked up with Anthony "Augie Pisano" Carfano and Anthony "Tony Bender" Strollo, who were Caporegimes in the Genovese Crime Family. Carfano and Strollo ran nightclubs in New York City, and were looking for a bouncer, so their new "tough as nails" friend was offered the job. One thing was for sure, my father could handle himself and anyone who got in his way. He worked at famous night spots such as "The Wagon Wheel" and "The Gold Key".

  Legend has it that one night my father got into a fight with a boxer who had just turned professional. The boxer was future "Welterweight Champion" Emile Griffith and the word on the street was that my old man floored him not once, but twice! At the time, Ricky had no idea who he was and threw him out of the club for talking a little too much to a white girl, Griffith was black and this was a definite no-no in those days. The boxer's advances were most likely innocent, because years later it was well known that Emile Griffith was gay. lt was through working as a bouncer for the Genovese guys that my father got to know the Gallo brothers, especially Larry and Joey. At the time, the Gallo's were made members of the Profaci family from Brooklyn. They frequented the clubs often because of their friendship with Carfano and Strollo and Ricky wound up hitting it off with Larry Gallo, and the two became extremely close friends. In September 1959, Anthony Carfano was executed, shot in the back of his head while he sat in his Cadillac.

  After Carfano's murder, Larry came to the "Peppermint Lounge" in New York, and asked Ricky to come over to Brooklyn with him, Ricky did and started spending more time with
Larry Gallo and his crew.

  Ricky was staying with Tony "Abby" Abbetarmarco, who was the son of Frankie "Shots" Abbetermarco, a Profaci soldier and Jimmy "Bats" Cardiello, who owned a bar on Sackett Street in Brooklyn called "Cardello's Tavern" in the early 60's. Abby put Ricky in charge at the "Hilltop Bar" on Prospect Avenue and Prospect Park West in Brooklyn. A typical old bar, 4x4 glass window in front looking out on to the street. An old wood bar, small kitchen in the back, a few booths, some photos on the wall of "Sinatra and Martin", a jukebox, and one of those old wooden telephone booths. In the 70's after the bar closed, they filmed "Dog Day Afternoon" there. Mom wanted to be a barmaid at the same time Ricky was sent to run the "Hilltop bar". My mother knew "Mike The Bandit" who was friends with the Gallo's. He brought her there to work, that's how she meet Ricky. Ricky showed my mom how to tend bar and that's how the romance started. One little problem, Ricky was married with a kid! I met Ricky at the bar, he was well dressed about 5'8', well built, with a great smile. He met me with open arms and with a "Bow and Arrow" as a gift. He spoke softy like he knew me for years, he had a warmth about him and a trusting way. Don't forget, I was only five years old, what did I know about anything then? When my mother met Ricky he was already in the "life".

  My mother, Amelia Fiore, and the Fiore family originated in Naples, Italy. My grandparents came to the United States, when they were very young. First Salvatore Fiore was born December 15th, 1897, and came to the United States 1904. Then my Grandmother Amalia Decarrone, was born October 2nd 1902, she she came in 1906.

  My Grandfather first lived at "Croton on the Hudson", then moved to South Brooklyn. When he was old enough he began working on the Brooklyn docks as a Longshoreman. My Grandmother came right to the neighborhood of Red Hook, working odd jobs as a young girl. Salvatore and Mary were married in 1919, my mother was born September 7th, 1934.

  She had one sister and five brothers, her sister Cecelia's brother Frank and Salvatore, who died as kids, Martin who died in World War Two, Mike who died in his 30's and Frank, who just passed a way.

  My mother Amelia "Chubby" or "Dolly", she went by many names, went to Public School 142, then to "High School of Home Making". She came from the Streets of South Brooklyn and grew up with the Gallo brothers and Profici guys, they all grew up on the same streets. In fact Joey Gallo dated her girlfriend who lived next door to her on "First Place", in the same building that Frank "Punchy" Illiano lived with his parents. She also was friends with Andy "Mush" Russo and Carmine Perscio. She was a pretty "wise girl" from the start. Here, I come into the story. My mother got married in 1954 to a semi pro boxer named Alfonzo "Funzi" Milone from Coney Island Brooklyn, I came May 30, 1956. Their marriage didn't work out and Mom was a single mother at twenty-two.

  My mother as a barmaid, had a trick when she gave back the change for a drink. She would push back the change till it would go under the back padding of the bar till it got stuck. At the end of the night she would clean it out and get about $50.00, then she would put it in a black plaster cat bank! Ricky, one day cleaning up, notices that the cat was filled, he couldn't figured out why there was so much change in it so he figure my mom was doing something, so he cut a hole in the bottom, took all the money and put it back and didn't say nothing to my Mom. Mom kept putting the change in, about two weeks later Ricky emptied it out again.

  Ricky was sitting at the end of the bar with Larry Gallo laughing, he told my mom that Larry needed some money, so Mom said that she had some money saved in the cat. Ricky said to go get it, she went over to the cat, picked it up, felt it empty, then saw there was a hole in the bottom! She threw the cat at Ricky and Larry just missing them!, smashing it into the glass phone booth breaking the glass.

  Ricky and Larry were laughing so hard they almost fell off the bar stools! Ricky then said to my Mom "You really think your smarter then me?, "not in a million years baby"! That night, Ricky gave the $400.00 that was in the cat to my Mom they laughed all night about it! It was one of the good times inbetween the bad ones. The next day my Mom went down the block and brought the same black cat and put it at the end of the bar.

  On weekends I would go to the bar and clean it up. I also had a shoeshine box, when the guys came in they would laugh because they knew I was going to shine their shoes and make some money. They would give $10.00 or more, it depended on who it was. The bigger the gangster the bigger the tip. I made a good chunk of change $150.00 not bad for a kid for the weekend in the 1960's.

  At "The Hill Top" there was all kinds of shit going on, swag, cigarettes, anything that you can steal came thought there. Ricky once did a diamond score. he hid them in an envelope in a wall in the cellar. When he got someone to buy them he went to the cellar, looked in the wall and didn't see them. He said "no way", so he got a flashlight and looked in and saw that rats had opened the envelopes and scattered the diamonds inbetween the beams. He had to break the cement wall and try to squeeze in. He put on a hat and gloves, and had to fire shots at the rats to make them run. He found about 10 of the 40 diamonds, he was pissed!

  While Ricky was at the bar he met the rest of the Gallo crew guys named Nick Bianco, Joseph "Cockeyed Butch", Musemeci, Rosario "Roy Roy " Musico, Joesph "Smokey" D'Antuano, Frank "Punchy" Illiano, Robert "Bobby Darrow" Bongivoni, Johnny "Tarzan" Lusterino, Louie "The Syrian" Hubella, Sammy "The Syrian"Zahralbam, Pete "The Greek" Diasporas, Tony "The Beard" Bernardo, Joe "Jelly" Gioelli, John "Mooney" Cutrone. Gerry "citoz" Basciano, Ali "Ali Baba" Hassen Waffa, "one bad ass crew!" They had card games in the back, a pot of espresso on, and always something to eat. You could always find two or three guys there, as soon as we opened, and everyone was always in a suit and tie.

  Profaci "war" had started to heat up and the boys had to hit the mattresses on President Street. "Roy Roy" Musico and his mother, Fran, had a club, Amando "the Midget" Illiano and his mom also had club on the block, also Gargulio Flower Shop, all on President Street. Many restaurants as well, Lefty Big Ears, Mama Roses, or Dolly's. The boys would always eat at Lefty's. They had the block locked down.

  Ricky, being fairly new to the crew, was able to move around with the enemy. This is when Larry started calling Ricky by a codename "Mr Goldberg".

  Mom at one of the Supper Clubs

  Dad in Miami beach in the 70's

  Mom and Dad at a Wedding

  Mom and Dad on the way to see Jimmy Roselli Sing

  CHAPTER 6

  The First Gallo Profaci War

  1959- 1964. Joey was tired of Joe Profaci who was an old time grease ball, Larry and Joey was supposed to get bigger shares in the street earnings and all Profaci did was bullshit them and to ask for more money. Joey and Larry went to other members of the family with there gripe to get support, guys like Frankie "Shots" Abbaermarco, Johnny "Bath Beach" Otto, Nicholas "Jiggs" Forlano, Charles Lo Ciero, Harry Fontana, all "Captains" in the Profaci family. While this was going on, Profaci gave the order to the Gallo crew to kill Frankie "Shots" Abbatemarco, on November 4th 1959, Joey and Larry didn't want it. I it was anyone else they would have no problem doing the hit themselves, so they passed it off to Carmine Perscio and Joe Jelly. The "Frankie Shots" killing at "Cardiello Bar" at 4th and Carroll Street was not very popular with the crew. Frankie Shots was leading the revolt against Joe Profaci and advising Larry and Joe how to make the move to bring Profaci down.

  After the killing Profaci asked Larry and Joey to turn over Frankie Shot's son Anthony "Abby" but he went into hiding on President Street. This pretty much was the end of Larry and Joey with Profaci. With months going by, and the backing of most "capo's" trying to get Profaci to share in the wealth, Joey and Larry were fed up with Profaci.

  In February 1961, Larry Joey and Tony Bender had a meeting at the "Hilltop Bar" in Brooklyn. Tony Bender was the one who went to the the "commission" with the Gallo brothers gripe. Tony, Joey and Larry put a plan together to kidnap Joe Profaci, Joe Colombo, John Scimone, Joesph Magliocco, Frank Profaci, and Sally Musacchia.

  On February 27th
, 1961 Joey send out a crew of men, Joe 'Jelly' Gioelli, Gerry "Chitoz" Basciano, Joseph "Big LollyPop" Carna, Larry "Little LollyPop" Carna, Frank 'Punchy' Illiano, Louie "The Syrian"Hubella, and Vincent "Chico" Regina, to pick them up. They kidnapped all, except Joe Profaci who was nowhere to be found. He got wind that something was going down and took off to Florida. After a few weeks of holding the "captains" Profaci made a "peace agreement" just to get his captains back. Joey and Larry came to blows about releasing them, Joey wanted to kill them one by one, starting with Joseph Magliocco. Joey didn't trust Profaci, Larry convinced him to let them go, Joey was right, Profaci had no intention of holding up his end.

  Dad always said he loved Larry, but Joey was right, Larry made a bad move by letting them go. Larry was not a war boss, Larry said "if he did the right thing the other bosses would side with them", it was a "Machiavelli" move that back fired.

  August 1961, just like Joey said Profaci orders the killing of Larry, Joey and the rest of the crew, Punchy, Mooney, Citoz. Larry had them all lay low on the block, while Joey send some guys from the crew that could shoot. Out looking for anyone from Profaci, Ricky, Tony and being fairly new, they would go out at night looking for anyone that they knew that was on the list. More guys got shot at, then shot. Thats why they called them "The gang that couldn't shoot straight". Larry and Joey were led to believe that Persico and Scimone was siding with them. While speaking and meeting with them often, they had no idea the Carmine and his crew made a deal with Profaci, to go back with the family.