Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno (August 15, 1911 – July 27, 1992) was an American mobster who served as underboss and front boss of the Genovese crime family in New York City from 1981 until his conviction in 1986.
Salerno was born and raised in East Harlem, New York. In his youth, he became involved in gambling, numbers, loansharking and protection rackets for the Luciano family, which later came to be known as the Genovese family. Salerno was a member of the 116th Street Crew, headed by Michael "Trigger Mike" Coppola. Salerno climbed the family ranks by controlling a possible million-dollar-a-year numbers racket operation in Harlem and a major loansharking operation. In 1948, Coppola fled to Florida to escape murder charges, and Salerno took over the crew.
By the 1960s, Salerno controlled the largest numbers racket operation in New York, grossing up to $50 million per year.[1] Salerno kept his headquarters at the Palma Boys Social Club in East Harlem and continued to work in these areas. The FBI accused him of heading a bookie and loan shark network that grossed $1 million annually. Salerno hired Roy Cohn as his attorney. On April 20, 1978, Salerno was sentenced to six months in federal prison for illegal gambling and tax evasion charges.[2] In early 1981, after his release from prison, Salerno suffered a mild stroke and retreated to his Rhinebeck estate to recuperate. At the time of his stroke, Salerno was Genovese underboss.
Genovese front boss and prison
After Salerno's recovery from his stroke and the March 31, 1981, death of Genovese front boss Frank Tieri, Salerno succeeded him. Although law enforcement at the time thought that Salerno was the boss of the Genovese family, it was an open secret in New York Mafia circles that Salerno was merely a front man for the real boss, Vincent "the Chin" Gigante. For instance, Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco, who later became acting boss of the Lucchese crime family before turning informer, told investigators that when he became a Lucchese made man in 1982, he was told that Gigante was the boss of the Genovese family.[3] Ever since the death of boss Vito Genovese in 1969, the real family leader had been Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo. Over the years, Lombardo used several front bosses to hide his real status from law enforcement, a practice continued when Gigante took over the family upon Lombardo's retirement in 1981.
On February 25, 1985, Salerno and eight other New York bosses on the "Mafia Commission" were indicted in the Mafia Commission Trial.[4] In October 1986, Fortune Magazine named the 75-year-old Salerno as America's top gangster in power, wealth and influence.[5] For that reason, he was nominally the lead defendant in the trial. Many observers disputed Salerno's top ranking, claiming that law enforcement greatly exaggerated Salerno's importance to bring attention to their legal case against him. Salerno's bail request was denied and his attorneys appealed the decision all the way to the United States Supreme Court. However, in United States v. Salerno the Supreme Court ruled that he could be held without bail because of his potential danger to the community. Along with the other defendants of the trial, Salerno pleaded not guilty on July 1, 1985.[6] On November 19, 1986, Salerno was convicted on RICO charges.[7] On January 13, 1987, he was sentenced, along with six other defendants, to 100 years in prison without parole and fined $240,000.[1][8][9]
While awaiting the Mafia Commission trial, Salerno was indicted in a separate trial on March 21, 1986, in a second federal racketeering indictment, which accused Salerno of having hidden controlling interests in S & A Concrete Co. and Transit-Mix Concrete Corp.[10][8] in the construction of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the Trump Tower. Salerno was also accused of illegally aiding the election of Roy Lee Williams to the national presidency of the Teamsters Union. Salerno pleaded not guilty on all charges.[10] In October 1988, he was convicted and sentenced to 70 years in prison, including a $376,000 fine, and ordered to forfeit half of the racketeering proceeds (estimated to be $30 million).[11][8]
In 1986, shortly after Salerno's conviction in the Commission Trial, Salerno's longtime right-hand man, Vincent "The Fish" Cafaro, turned informant, and told the FBI that Salerno had never been the real boss of the Genoveses, but was merely a front for Gigante. Cafaro also revealed that the Genovese family had been keeping up this ruse since 1969.[12][13] An FBI bug had captured a conversation in which Salerno and capo Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello were reviewing a list of prospective candidates to be made in another family. Frustrated that the nicknames of the wannabes hadn't been included, Salerno shrugged and said, "I'll leave this up to the boss"–a clear sign that he was not the real leader of the family.[14] However, according to New York Times organized crime reporter Selwyn Raab, even though prosecutors erred in billing Salerno as the Genovese boss, this mistake would not have jeopardized Salerno's conviction at the Commission Trial or his 100-year sentence. In his book, Five Families, Raab noted that Salerno had been tried and convicted for specific criminal acts, not for being a boss.[15]
Death
After his conviction and imprisonment, Salerno's health deteriorated due to his diabetes and suspected prostate cancer. On July 27, 1992, Anthony Salerno died at the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.[1]
^Lubasch, Arnold H. (February 27, 1985). "U.s. Indictment Says 9 Governed New York Mafia". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
^James B. Jacobs. Mobsters, unions, and feds: the Mafia and the American labor movement. (p. 37)[1]
^"11 PLEAD NOT GUILTY TO RULING ORGANIZED CRIME IN NEW YORK" New York Times July 2, 1985
^Lubasch, Arnold H (November 20, 1986). "U.S. Jury Convicts Eight as Members of Mob Commission". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
^ abcFederal Government's Use of Trusteeships Under the RICO Statute. Vol. 4. United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. 1989.
^Lubasch, Arnold H. (January 14, 1987). "Judge Sentences 8 Mafia Leaders to Prison Terms". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
^ abLubasch, Anrold H. (March 22, 1986). "Reputed Mob Leader Among 15 Indicted on Racketeering Counts". New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
^"Ex-Mobster 'Fat Tony' Salerno". Seattle Times. Associated Press. July 29, 1992. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
^Feldman, Dana (December 9, 2019). "Domenick Lombardozzi Talks Total Transformation In Martin Scorsese's 'The Irishman'". Forbes. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
^Brown, Jerry (November 29, 2019). "'Fat Tony' on The Irishman: Who was Anthony Salerno in real life?". Monsters and Critics. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
Raab, Selwyn. Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York: St. Martin's Press 2005. ISBN0-312-30094-8
External links
New York Times "Teamsters and Mobster Linked" from July 29, 1988
anthony, salerno, confused, with, anthony, tony, peraino, other, uses, tony, anthony, tony, salerno, august, 1911, july, 1992, american, mobster, served, underboss, front, boss, genovese, crime, family, york, city, from, 1981, until, conviction, 1986, salerno,. Not to be confused with Anthony Big Tony Peraino For other uses see Fat Tony Anthony Fat Tony Salerno August 15 1911 July 27 1992 was an American mobster who served as underboss and front boss of the Genovese crime family in New York City from 1981 until his conviction in 1986 Anthony SalernoSalerno s 1985 FBI mugshotBorn 1911 08 15 August 15 1911New York City U S DiedJuly 27 1992 1992 07 27 aged 80 Springfield Missouri U S Resting placeSaint Raymond s Cemetery The BronxOther namesFat TonyAllegianceGenovese crime familyConviction s Racketeering 1986 Racketeering 1988 Criminal penalty100 years imprisonment and fined 240 000 1987 70 years imprisonment fined 376 000 and ordered to forfeit half of the racketeering proceeds 1988 Contents 1 Early life 2 Genovese front boss and prison 3 Death 4 In popular culture 5 References 6 External linksEarly life EditSalerno was born and raised in East Harlem New York In his youth he became involved in gambling numbers loansharking and protection rackets for the Luciano family which later came to be known as the Genovese family Salerno was a member of the 116th Street Crew headed by Michael Trigger Mike Coppola Salerno climbed the family ranks by controlling a possible million dollar a year numbers racket operation in Harlem and a major loansharking operation In 1948 Coppola fled to Florida to escape murder charges and Salerno took over the crew In 1959 Salerno was a secret financial backer of a heavyweight professional boxing title fight at New York s Yankee Stadium between Swedish boxer Ingemar Johansson and American boxer Floyd Patterson No charges were filed against Salerno 1 Salerno divided his time between a home in Miami Beach Florida a 100 acre 0 40 km2 estate and horse farm in upstate Rhinebeck New York the Palma Boys Club in East Harlem and his apartment in the upscale Gramercy Park section of Manhattan Salerno served as consigliere underboss and acting boss of the Genovese family By the 1960s Salerno controlled the largest numbers racket operation in New York grossing up to 50 million per year 1 Salerno kept his headquarters at the Palma Boys Social Club in East Harlem and continued to work in these areas The FBI accused him of heading a bookie and loan shark network that grossed 1 million annually Salerno hired Roy Cohn as his attorney On April 20 1978 Salerno was sentenced to six months in federal prison for illegal gambling and tax evasion charges 2 In early 1981 after his release from prison Salerno suffered a mild stroke and retreated to his Rhinebeck estate to recuperate At the time of his stroke Salerno was Genovese underboss Genovese front boss and prison EditAfter Salerno s recovery from his stroke and the March 31 1981 death of Genovese front boss Frank Tieri Salerno succeeded him Although law enforcement at the time thought that Salerno was the boss of the Genovese family it was an open secret in New York Mafia circles that Salerno was merely a front man for the real boss Vincent the Chin Gigante For instance Alphonse Little Al D Arco who later became acting boss of the Lucchese crime family before turning informer told investigators that when he became a Lucchese made man in 1982 he was told that Gigante was the boss of the Genovese family 3 Ever since the death of boss Vito Genovese in 1969 the real family leader had been Philip Benny Squint Lombardo Over the years Lombardo used several front bosses to hide his real status from law enforcement a practice continued when Gigante took over the family upon Lombardo s retirement in 1981 On February 25 1985 Salerno and eight other New York bosses on the Mafia Commission were indicted in the Mafia Commission Trial 4 In October 1986 Fortune Magazine named the 75 year old Salerno as America s top gangster in power wealth and influence 5 For that reason he was nominally the lead defendant in the trial Many observers disputed Salerno s top ranking claiming that law enforcement greatly exaggerated Salerno s importance to bring attention to their legal case against him Salerno s bail request was denied and his attorneys appealed the decision all the way to the United States Supreme Court However in United States v Salerno the Supreme Court ruled that he could be held without bail because of his potential danger to the community Along with the other defendants of the trial Salerno pleaded not guilty on July 1 1985 6 On November 19 1986 Salerno was convicted on RICO charges 7 On January 13 1987 he was sentenced along with six other defendants to 100 years in prison without parole and fined 240 000 1 8 9 While awaiting the Mafia Commission trial Salerno was indicted in a separate trial on March 21 1986 in a second federal racketeering indictment which accused Salerno of having hidden controlling interests in S amp A Concrete Co and Transit Mix Concrete Corp 10 8 in the construction of Mount Sinai School of Medicine Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Trump Tower Salerno was also accused of illegally aiding the election of Roy Lee Williams to the national presidency of the Teamsters Union Salerno pleaded not guilty on all charges 10 In October 1988 he was convicted and sentenced to 70 years in prison including a 376 000 fine and ordered to forfeit half of the racketeering proceeds estimated to be 30 million 11 8 In 1986 shortly after Salerno s conviction in the Commission Trial Salerno s longtime right hand man Vincent The Fish Cafaro turned informant and told the FBI that Salerno had never been the real boss of the Genoveses but was merely a front for Gigante Cafaro also revealed that the Genovese family had been keeping up this ruse since 1969 12 13 An FBI bug had captured a conversation in which Salerno and capo Matthew Matty the Horse Ianniello were reviewing a list of prospective candidates to be made in another family Frustrated that the nicknames of the wannabes hadn t been included Salerno shrugged and said I ll leave this up to the boss a clear sign that he was not the real leader of the family 14 However according to New York Times organized crime reporter Selwyn Raab even though prosecutors erred in billing Salerno as the Genovese boss this mistake would not have jeopardized Salerno s conviction at the Commission Trial or his 100 year sentence In his book Five Families Raab noted that Salerno had been tried and convicted for specific criminal acts not for being a boss 15 Death EditAfter his conviction and imprisonment Salerno s health deteriorated due to his diabetes and suspected prostate cancer On July 27 1992 Anthony Salerno died at the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield Missouri 1 Salerno was buried at Saint Raymond s Cemetery in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx in New York City In popular culture EditSalerno is portrayed by Paul Sorvino in the film Kill the Irishman 2011 and Domenick Lombardozzi in the film The Irishman 2019 16 17 References Edit a b c d Dao James July 29 1992 Anthony Fat Tony Salerno 80 A Top Crime Boss Dies in Prison New York Times Retrieved July 22 2017 Lubasch Arnold H April 20 1978 Salerno 67 Given 6 Months in Prison In Gambling Case New York Times p D20 Retrieved July 22 2017 Raab p 556 Lubasch Arnold H February 27 1985 U s Indictment Says 9 Governed New York Mafia The New York Times via NYTimes com James B Jacobs Mobsters unions and feds the Mafia and the American labor movement p 37 1 11 PLEAD NOT GUILTY TO RULING ORGANIZED CRIME IN NEW YORK New York Times July 2 1985 Lubasch Arnold H November 20 1986 U S Jury Convicts Eight as Members of Mob Commission The New York Times Retrieved October 13 2011 a b c Federal Government s Use of Trusteeships Under the RICO Statute Vol 4 United States Congress Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations 1989 Lubasch Arnold H January 14 1987 Judge Sentences 8 Mafia Leaders to Prison Terms The New York Times Retrieved October 13 2011 a b Lubasch Anrold H March 22 1986 Reputed Mob Leader Among 15 Indicted on Racketeering Counts New York Times Retrieved July 22 2017 Ex Mobster Fat Tony Salerno Seattle Times Associated Press July 29 1992 Retrieved July 22 2017 Raab pp 556 557 MAJOR MAFIA LEADER TURNS INFORMER SECRETLY RECORDING MEETINGS OF MOB By ARNOLD H LUBASCH New York Times March 21 1987 Raab p 555 Raab p 309 310 Feldman Dana December 9 2019 Domenick Lombardozzi Talks Total Transformation In Martin Scorsese s The Irishman Forbes Retrieved September 7 2020 Brown Jerry November 29 2019 Fat Tony on The Irishman Who was Anthony Salerno in real life Monsters and Critics Retrieved September 7 2020 Raab Selwyn Five Families The Rise Decline and Resurgence of America s Most Powerful Mafia Empires New York St Martin s Press 2005 ISBN 0 312 30094 8External links EditNew York Times Teamsters and Mobster Linked from July 29 1988 FBI file on Anthony SalernoAmerican MafiaPreceded byMichael Trigger Mike Coppola Policy racket in New York City1948 1986 Succeeded by Preceded byMichael Mike Miranda Genovese crime familyConsigliere1972 1975 Succeeded byAntonio Buckaloo FerroPreceded byCarmine Little Eli Zeccardi Genovese crime familyUnderboss1975 1980 Succeeded byVincent The Chin Gigante Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Anthony Salerno amp oldid 1129605946, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
