Who were the rising stars of the American mafia that would go on to greater things after John Goti was imprisoned? Let’s check it out. I’m James Gladwish and welcome to OC Shorts, bringing you detailed historical snapshots of the American Mafia and other organized crime. Feel free to subscribe if you like that sort of thing.

I sat down with former Gambino crime family associate Anthony Rigano Jr., son of respected Gambino family mobster Anthony Fat Andy Reiano, to discuss the rising stars of the mafia during his time in the life. Anthony Reiano Jr. has an excellent YouTube channel, Reformed Gangsters, which is well worth checking out. So, hi Anthony. Thank you for coming on again.

Um, today I’d just like to discuss some of the mobsters who were either like associates or soldiers, but who would go on to bigger things in the underworld? And I just wondered off the top of your head, were there any of these individuals that you could tell back then had the qualities to be successful in the mob life, which which led them to go on to to bigger and better things with within the Gambino or or other families.

So, you know, off the top of your head, I mean, tell me what you knew about the the Carzo brothers because they were under your father. start soon as you ask the question, the first name that comes to my mind is Nikki. Nikki Karazza. So I mean I know them since I’m born. I mean they my father as teenagers Nikki always had leadership ability and you could always tell he was the leader of the crow cuz Nikki was the first one to come around my father and Nikki actually brought all the other guys around like Lenny and his brother

Jojo and and and a whole crew. Nikki was the first one and he brought them around. Nikki always had that quality. Nikki was always my own, my father’s favorite. Um, and you could just tell Nikki was gonna go places, you know, especially after he got straightened out. He, you know, put together a humongous crew.

But, uh, as a as teenagers and John and then the other one, of course, is John Gotti. You could always tell he was, you know, from, excuse me, at an early age, my father used to always tell me only three things are going to happen to John Gotti. either he’s going to get a hundred years, he’s going to get shot in the head, or he’s going to become the boss.

My old man always said that about John Gotti. So, those two names, them two people definitely stink out, stick out right away. And actually, they all come from the same neighborhood. And as teenagers, they had major major beefs together. I mean, they actually had had put their hands on each other as kids, John and Nikki.

Um, they were like enemies as kids. And then uh as they got older, you know, they mended fences. And actually when John became the boss, Nikki actually thought he was going to get killed and John became the boss. And uh and um you know, then I guess John saw what he had the potential in Nikki and and you know, they eventually made Nikki a captain.

That never transpired, but Nikki used to Nikki definitely was one of those guys that I knew was going places without a doubt. I mean, his brother Jojo, he I mean, I think he he he ascended quite well. And what was his qualities like? Okay. So, Jojo was a the totally different type of guy than Nikki. Nikki was very charismatic.

Nikki was very uh tough and and and and you know, stern. Jojo was kind of laidback. Jojo made a ton of money. He had a big crew around him. You know, Ronnie went one arm and and and all these other guys. He had a big crew. But his his ascension was he became very good friends with Picotti. Nikki’s ascension, I think, was more due to his his ability.

I mean, don’t get wrong, Jojo had ability, too, but Nikki Nikki’s ascension was more to because of his ability. Jojo got made when John became the boss out of respect for Neil. They made Jojo, but Jojo was made a acting captain by Pete. When Pete took control, Jojo’s ascended because he was really close to Pete.

And then Pete made him the counselary after a while. So the ascensions were different but the same, you know, does if that makes sense. Yeah. Yeah. So basically Nikki was kind of, you know, the more charismatic one and it wouldn’t have mattered who he was close to that they could see his qualities, but Jojo’s relationship with Peter kind of helped helped his ascension.

Definitely, without a doubt. And Nikki was definitely more vicious than Jojo. Okay. Um, and a guy I know you know you know well. So you have Skinny Dumpia. I mean because he he kind of said he was a captain in the end, wasn’t he? So here’s another one. I mean, don’t get me wrong, he did some work, you know, he got, of course, you know, he was involved in the murder of my brother-in-law.

He was involved in the murder of Joe Butch’s cousin with Joe Watts. So Dominic put work in to become a maid member. But as far as him becoming uh get so when when um when Jojo became a captain, there was a little thing there going on. When Jojo I I was very close to Ronnie Win. When Jojo when Pete made Jojo an official captain, Ronnie thought that Jojo was going to make him acting captain, but he didn’t.

He made Skinny Dom acting captain. And and Ronnie won them was a little upset about that. But uh um so Nick, Dominic was another guy that ascended because of relationships, but he got made. He became a made member because he did work. But as far as him becoming a captain through his relationships, he became a captain. He’s another guy.

He was actually Pete Gotti’s best man at his wedding. Okay. Not too many people know that, but so so their ascensions were different, but the same, you know. So that’s the best way I could describe all that. Okay. Okay. Well, obviously brings us straight onto a Ronny armed tronny one-armed Trukio. Um, and his son Alance, he had a bit of a mero rise to a certain extent.

What What was it about those two guys? Okay. So, I went to prison in 1996. When I went to prison, Al Fox and all these kids, they were kids. While I was in prison during those eight years, they act, you know, they started becoming ma made members. And Al Fox, I think he was just a major earner, a major earner.

He was Ronnie one arm’s son. Ronnie had proposed him. They straightened him out on the strength of Ronnie being his father. Um, Ronnie at that point was a captain. Pete made Ronnie a captain. Pete made all these guys captains when he became the boss or the acting boss. And Alons was just a major earner. He had a lot of good kids around him, the Rock fors and so on.

and and and you know he never he became an acting captain because of his father. I mean when his father got in trouble they gave it to to Alance but uh then Alance got in trouble with he took a you know allegedly took a bad plea and they shoved them. Yeah. The Karaza shelved them but uh he was just a very m big money earn.

It’s funny cuz when I went away they were all kids. Even my cousin Jean they were all little kids. When I came out there they were all these big gangsters. So when I got out, Ronnie was in prison and I went to see Alons at at Aldos to see how his father was and that and uh and all that because I was actually at Ronnie and Alons’s mother’s wedding many, you know, back in the 70s.

So I knew his mother from when we were kids. So I went to see Alance and he was hanging out in in Aldos, but his ascension was because he was a big big earner. Okay. So he was quite a switched on smart individual. Alance was Yes. Al France made a lot a lot of money. Okay.

So, let’s move away um slightly from the kind of area you you were kind of grew up in. Um but obviously after the whole goti era, you know, Peter and John, everything like that, the kind of the Sicilians kind of had a bit of on the rise. I mean, was there much talk in when you were around everyone of the likes of Frank Callie and Dominic Cheffu? You know, Dominic was the last guy that John Gotti straightened out you um uh before he went to prison.

Dominic was Dom was like in the last crew of guys that John made. Um and I really didn’t know them well because they all hung out in Brooklyn in Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge and I really didn’t frequent that area. None of us really did. We always were in Ozone Park or by the Bergen, by Cafe Liberty, by the Ravenite.

So all I knew about them that they were major heroin traffickers, you know, that’s all everybody always talked about. The Sicilians were, you know, and heroin and whenever they mentioned Sicilians, they mentioned heroin. So, uh, I I really didn’t know them well, but they had a, you know, they had a very treacherous reputation. They were very dangerous.

That was well known. Um, they had a made big money because of the drug trade. Um, and they had a lot of they had a lot of respect, you know, but they were always known as a treacherous crew. Okay. And obviously because of, you know, the power and the money you get with the heroine side of things and obviously Frank Kelly had obviously family connections back in in the mother country as well, right? Yes.

Yes. Well, that was all through the Gambinos. I mean, they always had connections in in in in Sicily. Always. They always, you know, it’s funny because at one point, my father had told Tony told me this. At one point, made guys from Italy were recognized in the United States. Like when they came over, they were recognized as made as friends in the United States.

And then Gambino at some point stopped that. And he made them when they came over from Italy, they weren’t recognized in the United States. They had to be represented by a friend in the United States. So there was always a connection with Italy and the United States. Sicily anyway, mostly Sicily cuz most of them were Sicilian to Gambino.

Yeah. Okay. Um I was going to throw another couple of names here. Um did you know much about Richard Martino whom he ended up making a fortune um I think it was with telephone and internet scams in the end. Yeah. Well well you know I didn’t really know him well. I mean, I knew of them, you know, with the phone cards.

That’s what you’re talking about. The phone cards back. Yeah. I mean, we all Yeah. They started it, but every, you know, Joe Watts, I know you want to talk about Joe Watts had a major phone card business getting with with with with Rich Martino and all of them. And I actually was getting my phone cards from Joe Watts.

But yeah, that was a big that was a big that was a big thing. And the pay phones, they had the pay phones back then. Um, all that I made and uh Funsie from the Arnold and Fundsy. They were doing business with them too with the with the payoneses. They they had a big pay phone company. So that was all a big uh a big swindle with them phones and cards.

But we all made money with that cuz um I heard I think I heard a quote somewhere and I can’t remember exactly, but Goti looked at Richard Martino and said, you know, this guy’s sharp, you know, he he knows. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Made a lot of money. a lot of even Frankie Lok’s son, he made a ton of money with the porn. They invented the the 900 numbers with the telephone porn. They invented it.

They made millions. Tory Tory made millions. So, I mean, these guys were kind of obviously rising stars at that point, you know, you know. Yes. Big time. Um, and a guy who’s often linked obviously with Richard Martine I think they went trial together at one point. Um, but not from your neck of the woods.

I think he was kind of from the Bronx there was um Andrew Andrew Campos. Did you come across him or two? No, I I mean th they were all guys around Frankie Lo. Those are all the guys that they made millions. All I I mean I met them. They’re the ones that had the porn, the the telephone, the 900 numbers.

They’re the ones I believe they’re the ones that brought it to Tori and his father Frankie. They that was their thing. So they made they were all I know is they made millions of dollars. Um I remember when they became made members. Um but I had never did any business with them. I mean, I had met them, you know, I saw them in the Ravenite.

I saw them here at weddings, but I never really associated with them, but I know of them and what they did. So, I know I know they were all with Frankie Lo and Frankie Lo my we took down a lot of money with them. That’s for sure. So, is there any other names kind of within your orbit that you know who went on to do two bigger things that you could think of to be ahead? I mean, family.

I mean everybody that I know I mean it was always through a relate like Ali boy Persico you know I knew him well you know of course he was Carmine’s son he became the boss I mean all these guys were elevated you know to to higher stature because but they were capable too you know they were Ali boy was capable uh he became the boss um who um Teddy Persico is skinny Teddy I was in jail with him I knew eventually he was going to become the boss um so everybody I I everybody that I associated with that became that that ascended it, you know, always had a connection, had an in

if I if that, you know, I guess that’s the best way I could I can explain it. But, um, outside of Nikki and Lenny and Angela Quack and names that everybody knows, I knew they were definitely going to go places because of how they behaved and how they acted and how people treated them.

you know, people people catered to them because of, you know, their their how they who they were knew they were going to go up and with the likes of Ali Boy and um and and Teddy, the the younger one, obviously the family name that in helped their rise, right? Yeah. But, you know, but Ali Boy was capable because Ali Boy, you know, they were that, you know, Ali Boy had a lot of people killed, you know, and he might have been Carmine’s son, but you know, he he had no problem, you know, doing what he needed to do or Yeah. While

Billo being being one famous name. Yeah. And Joey Scopo, good friend of mine. Joey Scopo. And and and another I was away with I was away with this guy, Frankie Foot, I think they used to call him. He was one of Ali Boy’s guys and he clipped a few guys for Ali Boy. There was some family dispute and uh of a of a guy that owned a club, a disco in Staten Island and Ali Boy sent Word out from prison and Frankie killed the guy in his car.

So Ali Boy was very capable and that he was sharp. Ali boy, he was very sharp. You know, he he was you could see he was intelligent. You could see he had what even though he was Carmine’s son, he had what it takes to to do what he needed to do. The last time I saw Ali Boy was actually in Plaza Suite, the club that Sammy the Bull owned in Brooklyn.

That was the um he I don’t know if you he had an Oakland Raider jacket on. We were in the We were up in Plaza Suite. him, Ali Boy, my actually my sister was with us and my father and the four of us were at the bar drinking. That was the last time I saw him actually. Anthony Rigano Jr. has a book about his life coming out soon.

And you can register your interest in this book at anonyo.com. How’s the um the book stuff coming along with the Yes. So the we’re almost ready to go to print. It’s called Reform Gangster, My Life Inside the Gambino Crime Family. Um, a matter of fact, I have a meeting today at 4:00 with the with the with the author and and Pascal, my manager.

It’s all coming It’s all coming together right now on my website, anonyiano.com. We we have a form that people could fill out. Um, and uh, soon as the book is ready to go, we’re going to notify the first 100 people and send them, you know, copies of the book so there’s a form they can fill out and everything’s moving forward.

It’s looking really good. In the comments below, let me know your thoughts on the topic covered in this video. I hope you found that interesting. Thanks for watching.

RISING STARS of the AMERICAN MAFIA when John Gotti was Boss and after! – HT

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