Joe Biondo

[JeremyTheJew]

on wiki it claims Joe Biondo was Gambinos heroin business.

this was before the zips? and is it accurate

[Selig]

Joe Biondo was Carlo's Underboss and a close friend of Charlie Luciano's, I believe they were room mates in the 1920's, and Luciano was said to be importing heroin from Italy after he was deported, so I guess he may have been involved. But I understand that Carlo's brother Paul was his pointman.
Luciano was said to prefer dealing with Gambino after falling out with Vito Genovese, but that may be rumour rather than fact.

[Selig]

The Gambino Family's heroin business was certainly up and running long before the so called zips though.

[Frank]

Why was Biondo knocked down as Underboss and also wasn't it his men that whacked Albert??

[JeremyTheJew]

The Gambino Family's heroin business was certainly up and running long before the so called zips though.

can we elaborate with this?

who was looked at as the beggining dope guys in gambinos? i thought gambino really did outlaw dope for the most part.

[Selig]

Bear in mind the Gambinos, Castellanos, Scalises and the rest of those guys from the Twenties were the zips of their time. All of them had relatives in Sicily and many had drug connections. The Heroin business became big, as well as dangerous due to bigger penalties in the US in the late Forties when Luciano was back in Italy and he seemed to prefer dealing with them after falling out with Vito Genovese. Luciano was close to Frank Scalise, Joe Biondo and Paul Gambino as well as Frank Coppola in Italy.

[bronx]

Selig, you need to post more,

[Selig]

I only post if I have something to say. I have no special knowledge. Just stuff I've read over the last 40 or so years about the mob. I have formed certain opinions, but that doesn't mean they're correct. Many posters here no doubt have more informed information.

[bronx]

you were on point with that post, thanks

[bronx]

mob controlled the opium dens decades ago, they were in the drug biz forever.

[Selig]

Why was Biondo knocked down as Underboss and also wasn't it his men that whacked Albert??

I vaguely recall that Biondo was involved in the Anastasia hit. I think he was consigliere or UB at the time and guys form his old crew organised it. I believe Steve Armone, brother of Joe Piney, was running his regime at the time.

[Frank]

Thanks Selig

[dimaggio]

Joe "Banti" Biondo was most definitely involved with drugs. He was involved with all the top guys and had his own crew going back to the early thirties.
There are numerous documented trips of him travelling to Sicily through the 40s and 50s meeting with several players that would later go down in the French connection.
He was made cosig in, I believe 1951. The shooters for the Anastasia hit all came from his crew. Steve ' "Cogan" Grammauta, Stefano "14th street Steve" Armone and Arnold Wittenberg. Steve Armone's brother Joe 'piney' was originally supposed to be involved but was arrested prior the hit.
All involved in AA's murder received promotions it seems and Joe Biondo was made Gambino's UB in 57.
He was removed in 65 when he was caught holding back $ from a landfill dump project he was involved in with Sam DeCavalcante.
I read on another thread Gambino originally ordered him killed and Biondo fled to Texas but he must have smoothed things over because he was allowed to return to New York in 67/8? where he lived til his death in 73 but was basically shelved in the end.

[dimaggio]

The hit on Biondo was apparently given to captain Joe Paterno. June 65.


https://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/arch ... Id=1325742

[SonnyBlackstein]

The hit on Biondo was apparently given to captain Joe Paterno. June 65.


https://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/arch ... Id=1325742

The MF document states the Gambinos had 52 Capo's. This would place the family around 500-550 made guys.

Were they ever that big?