Maxie's Genovese Profiles

[maxiestern11]

ANDREW BIONDO - born 1918 in Brooklyn, NY (Williamsburg section). By the early 1960’s he had relocated out to the Melville, NY area of Suffolk County (7 Grossman Street). He was considered a Genovese Family “associate” and close aide to Vincent (Jimmy Nap) Napoli - a Genovese “capo” and arguably one of the largest policy (numbers) rackets figures in the country, and certainly considered to have controlled the largest policy network in the New York-New Jersey area. Biondo was Napoli’s “master controller” for this $30,000,000. a year numbers gambling ring. Biondo is the one who oversaw the “policy bank”, where all bets were eventually tallied and winners calculated. Police discovered this “bank” was hidden away in a Melville residence. Biondo was also active in (horses-sports) bookmaking as well as policy. He also was the owner-operator of the Cascade Laundromat on West Hills Road in Melville. He had been arrested numerous times on gambling related charges; policy (5 times), bookmaking (twice). He was convicted of policy (four times - jailed for nine months on one conviction), bookmaking (twice). He is not publicly heard from again after the mid-1970’s, and no dod was available.

[maxiestern11]

RAYMOND (SPANISH RAYMOND) MARQUEZ - born 1930. A product of the West Harlem-Bronx sections of NYC. He later relocated out to Nassau County, the exclusive Great Neck area (Keats Lane), where he owned a multi-million dollar mansion. Considered a Genovese Family “associate”, but in actuality Marquez was much more than that. During the late-1950’s through the 1980’s, he was arguably the biggest non-Italian policy (numbers) operator in the city, operating what police estimated was a $25,000,000. a year lottery ring. Starting as a kid as a numbers runner, he eventually grew and expanded until years later he ran a network of Puerto Rican and Hispanic hoodlums the rivaled a small crime family. Marquez and his gang were also active in narcotics (heroin and cocaine), loansharking, extortion and other mob-style rackets. Mostly confined his activities to the West Harlem-Bronx area, although they also operated in the Newark, NJ area (Spanish sections) as well. He operated many numbers “spots” (locations where people can place a policy bet), all through Harlem for decades. His “family” often times ran into difficulty with Italian policy racketeers, competing for locations. His close relationship with Anthony (Fat Tony) Salerno - a top Genovese and Harlem policy boss would help smooth occasion problems. During the late 1950’s and 1960’s he was accused of a murder and of policy bribery. No charges stuck. Arrest record reflects: policy (4 times), lottery, maintaining a gambling establishment, extortion, bribery, tax evasion (twice), racketeering.
In 1969, he was arrested twice on gambling and extortion charges. Served a concurrent three and five year jail sentence.
He was kidnapped in 1977 and held for a $8,100. ransom, which was paid by his wife in jewelry. Police later found him locked in a car trunk out in Flushing, Queens.
In April 1994, he was arrested on state gambling charges. Prosecutors claimed that he had amassed a small fortune by illegal means and attempted a forfeiture. The indictment led to a legal battle over attempts by city authorities to seize $6.5 million from him in unpaid taxes from wealth that they say was generated by illegal activities from 1990 to 1993. Prosecutors contended that Márquez and his organization handled about $30 million a year in wagers that were made at 41 parlors and that his organization faxed the reported earnings to his wife's yacht. His wife, Alice, also pleaded guilty to a gambling charge.
Márquez claimed that his wife had accumulated a fortune, including three motels, a 63-foot yacht and a home in Great Neck, N.Y., through legitimate investments. It was later shown that the home, the yacht and motels had all been acquired prior to 1990.
In 1995, Márquez was again indicted on 221 counts of running a criminal enterprise. The charges were reduced to two counts, a felonies for attempted enterprise corruption and promoting gambling.
500 NYPD police officers raided 69 locations, including nearly a dozen money banks, which were allegedly under the Márquez family's control. Police arrested 75 employees on felony gambling charges, confiscated over $100,000 in cash, and seized over a dozen keys to safety deposit boxes.
According to a law enforcement official, the operation was managed by his nephews, Peter and Robert Marquez Jr., grossed between $25 and $30 million per year, and was headquartered in a row of four contiguous buildings on St. Nicholas Avenue and 113th Street which were connected by a series of doors, tunnels and trapdoors. Robert and Peter Marquez were arrested, along with their sister, Christine, and father Fernando. On April 1996, Márquez pleaded guilty after making an agreement with District Attorney's office to forfeit $1 million and to serve a 90-day jail sentence with four years nine months of probation.
Today, Marquez and his family runs and manages hotels in Commack LI and South Florida. In 2011, Marquez was targeted by New York City authorities for owing $1.6 million in unincorporated business taxes, making him one of the city's top scofflaws. His son said Marquez would never pay it, saying that Marquez was judgement-proof.........Today “Spanish Ray” is said to still be alive at the ripe old age of 89. He became a legend in his day, and a multi-millionaire many, many times over! A very successful underworld career by anyone’s benchmark!

[johnny_scootch]

Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one. I agree he was a sleeper. His name isn't well known to most people.

Depends on who you consider most people. In mob terms a sleeper is a made guy most other made guys don't know is made, his status is kept a secret from all but a few for whatever reasons. If you're talking about the public in general well you can label most members as sleepers in that case. Tommy Greco was a absolute legend to my fathers generation, every single wiseguy knew that name and so did majority of people just around the life. I would never label him that but to each his own. Another great bio from Maxie.

[maxiestern11]

THE EBOLI BROTHERS - THOMAS, PASQUALE, RALPH AND JOHN....... four brothers all born downtown Manhattan. Two of whom became high ranking (inducted) members in the Luciano/Genovese Family of LCN, the two others “associates” in the family. Most are familiar with “Tommy and Patsy Ryan’s” exploits, so this post will focus a bit on the two lesser known brothers: Ralph and John.
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RALPH EBOLI - born 1925. Resided out in Centereach, LI (354 Eastwood Blvd.). Younger brother of “Acting Underboss Thomas Eboli. Ralph was described as a Catena “associate”, since Gerardo Catena was Acting Boss at the time Ralph was identified.
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Activities: gambling, extortion, strong-arm.
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In 1968, he was indicted by a Suffolk County grand jury for trying to take over a Nesconset bar whose owner was threatened and beaten.
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Had three arrests for; fraudulent checks, tampering with a fire hydrant, assault and attempted grand larceny by extortion. By 1970, he still had no convictions. I do not know the outcome of his extortion trial.
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Known associates: his brothers (Tommy, Patsy and John), Dominick (Cokey Dom) Alongi, Al Faicco.


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JOHN EBOLI - born 1928. Resided at Commack, LI (63 Elder Drive). The youngest brother of the lot. Identified in a 1969 expose on mob infiltration as a Catena “associate”.
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Activities: bookmaking, policy, wire-room “rigger”.
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John had been active in bookmaking operations and setting up wire-rooms for bookmakers (telephone centers where racetrack information is relayed to bookies) in Queens and Long Island.
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Arrest record: forgery, assault and robbery, falsely marking merchandise, bookmaking (seven times), policy.
He was convicted for forgery (three months in jail), policy.
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Known associates included; his three brothers (especially Patsy - acting as a mentor to John), Dominick Alongi.
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Note: no follow up information was available after the mid-1970’s. It seems with the killings of their brothers Tommy and Patsy, both Ralph and John faded from the scene. Happy to keep a low profile and away from the mob in future years!
No dod available on either brother.
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[maxiestern11]

MATTEO (MATTY THE HORSE) IANNIELLO - born 1920 downtown “Little Italy” section of the LES. FBI # 890429H. By the mid-1960’s he had relocated out to Nassau County, to the multi-million dollar neighborhood of Old Westbury (10 Tredwell Drive). Identified by the FBI and repeatedly before various U.S. Senate Hearings as a longtime (inducted) member, and by the late 1960’s elevated to a “Capo di decina” in the Genovese/Tieri Family.
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Considered by LE, both local and federal, as one of the most venerable members and “money makers” for decades in that family.
A “pioneer” of sorts in many sophisticated operations and rackets (creating or forging new avenues of revenue) over and over!
From “soldier”, he was elevated to “caporegime”.... and higher! Believed to have helped run the family in later years (he installed veteran soldier Ciro Perrone as the capo for his crew), while he helped governed the borgata..... regardless of his “official” rank (like John Dioguardi), he was a mob powerhouse!! ....Always!
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Activities: bar-nightclub infiltration, bankruptcy fraud, pornography and “flesh” rackets, business infiltration, profit-skimming (tax evasion), stock-securities fraud (boiler rooms), shylocking (on a fantastic scale), extortion, gambling, suspected narcotics...... [his monetary financial backing was instrumental in a host of rackets over the years].
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Early on, possibly served in Mike Miranda’s regime (Pete DeFeo succeeded). Or possibly under Pasquale Eboli (V. Gigante succeeded).
Associates: Vito Genovese, Thomas Eboli, G. Catena, Gigante, Lorenzo Brescio, Frank Tieri, Anthony Provenzano......virtually all major figures in the family, and in NYC for that matter.
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In 1965, he was identified by a former FBI agent and investigator for the FCC and the ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) and being closely affiliated with a state liquor authority investigator (SLA).
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He was a partner in a large factoring firm that held mortgages on bars (a trend that he would continue all his life) and in 1968, came under investigation in Florida in a Miami bank-kickback scheme.
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By the early 1970’s Ianniello was described by authorities as the “king” of smut in Times Square, owning or holding hidden interests in many topless bars, porno palaces, dirty-book stores (and the buildings housing them) and the like. He operated “The Metropole”, arguably the single most notorious topless bar in Times Square for decades.
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Note: his name “Matty the Horse” became a household word after the mob execution of (Crazy Joey) Gallo early one morning in his restaurant, the infamous “Umberto’s Clam House” at the Hester and Mulberry Streets in 1972.....But Ianniello was so much more than that!
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Arrests: as a young man he was arrested once, for the sale of heroin. He was not convicted..... and up until he was well into his mid-50’s, that was his only brush with the law.
[I will not post his entire criminal record, I think that most of us are well aware of his background, I’m trying to flesh out little known info on him for the forum]
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By the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, Matty the Horse became the focus of intensified LE scrutiny, and in the following decades would be indicted numerous times on very serious charges; extortion, racketeering, various tax evasions, criminal contempt of court, complex interstate business frauds, Teamster’s Union kickbacks, garbage racketeering (monopolies) in Connecticut, etc., etc........ suffice it to say that Ianniello certainly made up for all the years his “shadowy” underworld persona allowed him to “fly under the radar”!
In the ensuing years he would see the inside of a jail cell many times, and served many years in federal prison on his many convictions.

Note: [one federal Rico case that came down around 1986 was with his longtime friend and partner,
Benjamin (Benny) Cohen. They were accused in a complex multi-million dollar long running restaurant, bar and nightclub infiltration and money skimming racket that defrauded the IRS of millions]...... THAT was just one of a multitude of his operations!
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In 2012, “Matty the Horse” Ianniello died a free man at the ripe old age of 92 in the comfort of his luxurious mansion on Long Island, surrounded by his blood family! ...... a giant of a man, both in stature and in deed!
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Foot Note: if the full info were to be printed on his exploits and life, this post could have been ten times longer and more intricate than I made it. I drew the line because he was such a complex racketeer, more than a simple “hoodlum” or mobster, Matty was the consummate
“racketeer”, a tribute to his intelligence and business savvy! ...... it is often said that if certain mafiosi would have gone to college and went into the legitimate business world how well they could have done. Well in Matty the Horse’s case no truer words were ever spoken!

[maxiestern11]

LORENZO (CHAPPIE) BRESCIO - born 1904 in Bari, Italy. aka: “Larry”, “Chappie the Dude”. Resided on the LES before moving into the Waldorf Astoria in midtown Manhattan. By the early 1950’s he had migrated out to Long Island, to East Atlantic Beach (91 Bay Street) on the ocean.
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One of the “original” founding members of the old Luciano Family, later renamed the Genovese Family.

A highly respected “soldier” and elder statesman of the family.

He had the distinction of being the personal “bodyguard” of Charles (Lucky) Luciano for many years, one of the architects of the modern Cosa Nostra and first boss of the family after Giuseppe Masseria. He actually lived in a suite at the Waldorf Astoria with Luciano.
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Activities: labor racketeering, extortion, shylocking, strong-arm.
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Associates: Lucky Luciano, Vito Genovese, Frank Costello, Michele Miranda, Joseph Doto, Willy Moretti...... and most of the top members in all NYC families of his era.
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In the 1930’s, he was indicted and convicted for the $60,000. extortion “labor shakedowns” (a huge amount for that era) of taxi drivers in the taxi-cab industry in New York City. He was “on the lam” until turning himself in, in 1945. By that time he was able to plead out and only got a one year sentence.

His partner and alleged head of the racket was Joseph (Joe Bandy) Biondo - a top Anastasia leader.
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In 1947, he was shot and wounded, allegedly by fellow soldier Joseph (Joe Stutz) Tortorici, in an unknown dispute.
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“Chappie” Brescio was a longtime “power” in the meat industry. He listed his occupation as a meat salesman. He specialized in the Kosher meat rackets.

He brother Frank Brescio was the “business agent” of Local # 174 - Butchers Union of Greater New York and New Jersey (AFL-CIO) which came under investigation by famed Manhattan D.A. Frank Hogan for labor rackets and extortion.
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Arrest record dates to the 1930’s for: homicide, extortion, perjury and contempt of court.
Convicted of contempt (30 days), and extortion (jailed for undetermined period).
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In 1957, he was questioned about the murder of Family Boss Albert Anastasia.
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By the late 1950’s through the 1960’s, he was repeatedly harassed and subpoenaed by the Nassau County D.A’s, first Frank Gulotta, then his successor William Cahn,
pulling Brescio in at all hours of the night for questioning about mob operations and the mob infiltration of Long Island.
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In the 1960’s and 1970’s, Brescio was believed to have served under Capo Peter DeFeo, in his downtown “Little Italy” crew.
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By 1980 he was said to have stepped back, semi-retiring, until his death in 1985.
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[Frank]

LORENZO (CHAPPIE) BRESCIO - born 1904 in Bari, Italy. aka: “Larry”, “Chappie the Dude”. Resided on the LES before moving into the Waldorf Astoria in midtown Manhattan. By the early 1950’s he had migrated out to Long Island, to East Atlantic Beach (91 Bay Street) on the ocean.
—
One of the “original” founding members of the old Luciano Family, later renamed the Genovese Family.

A highly respected “soldier” and elder statesman of the family.

He had the distinction of being the personal “bodyguard” of Charles (Lucky) Luciano for many years, one of the architects of the modern Cosa Nostra and first boss of the family after Giuseppe Masseria. He actually lived in a suite at the Waldorf Astoria with Luciano.
—
Activities: labor racketeering, extortion, shylocking, strong-arm.
—
Associates: Lucky Luciano, Vito Genovese, Frank Costello, Michele Miranda, Joseph Doto, Willy Moretti...... and most of the top members in all NYC families of his era.
—
In the 1930’s, he was indicted and convicted for the $60,000. extortion “labor shakedowns” (a huge amount for that era) of taxi drivers in the taxi-cab industry in New York City. He was “on the lam” until turning himself in, in 1945. By that time he was able to plead out and only got a one year sentence.

His partner and alleged head of the racket was Joseph (Joe Bandy) Biondo - a top Anastasia leader.
—
In 1947, he was shot and wounded, allegedly by fellow soldier Joseph (Joe Stutz) Tortorici, in an unknown dispute.
—
“Chappie” Brescio was a longtime “power” in the meat industry. He listed his occupation as a meat salesman. He specialized in the Kosher meat rackets.

He brother Frank Brescio was the “business agent” of Local # 174 - Butchers Union of Greater New York and New Jersey (AFL-CIO) which came under investigation by famed Manhattan D.A. Frank Hogan for labor rackets and extortion.
—
Arrest record dates to the 1930’s for: homicide, extortion, perjury and contempt of court.
Convicted of contempt (30 days), and extortion (jailed for undetermined period).
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In 1957, he was questioned about the murder of Family Boss Albert Anastasia.
—
By the late 1950’s through the 1960’s, he was repeatedly harassed and subpoenaed by the Nassau County D.A’s, first Frank Gulotta, then his successor William Cahn,
pulling Brescio in at all hours of the night for questioning about mob operations and the mob infiltration of Long Island.
—
In the 1960’s and 1970’s, Brescio was believed to have served under Capo Peter DeFeo, in his downtown “Little Italy” crew.
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By 1980 he was said to have stepped back, semi-retiring, until his death in 1985.
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Interesting guy, was he acting boss??

[maxiestern11]

I do not believe he was ever more than a soldier officially, but very well thought of and respected, having survived and thrived so long, and an intimate of such top guys!

[don-shunter]

Is John Brescio related to him?

[bert]

Is John Brescio related to him?

Different spellings, the older Brescia is spelled with an at the end of his name, not like it is in this profile. In fact in all the old posts of him on here and in books or news articles, it's Brescia. The one alive is spelled Brescio.

[maxiestern11]

Over the years Chappy (and newspapers and LE) used both spellings. Brescia and Brescio, his brother Frank always uses the official family surname of Brescio.

[Raven]

Brescio here, but I have seen it both ways.

[maxiestern11]

Very good Raven! Some newspapers get it wrong. But his TN was Brescio

[Raven]

Yeah, if I type in Lorenzo Brescio on newspapers.com I get just as many hits for that as for Brescia. They used both in the newspapers. This is pretty common for Italian surnames to be spelled several different ways.

[maxiestern11]

You are absolutely correct Raven. I found that too