James “Froggy” Galione

[SonnyBlackstein]

Sonny, frank sparaco?

Bingo

Cheers mate.

Sparaco was never made though?

He wasn’t? He was close to Allie Boy, so I assumed.
Cheers.

[Pogo The Clown]

He wasn't made.


Pogo

[newera_212]

He started out in the Peter Chioda Crew. Later on he wound up in the George Zappola-George Conte Crew. He was busted in 1996 with Conte. Later on he was busted again for running that crack ring.


Pogo

Do you know whos crew he was in, or who he was an associate of, when he was with the Bonnanos?

I feel like his transfer was discussed on here but I can't find the thread - I think it was brought up in a JD post; the situation had gone up the ladder to Massino, where Galione was traded like a damn baseball player to the Luccheses - they did a swap. I forget who the Bonnanos added to their roster from that though.

Transfers are always interesting. He was transferred before he was a made guy, but its crazy he was transferred in the first place, only because he committed a huge huge peice of work for the Bonnanos...the Farace hit. Its weird he wasnt fast tracked to be made right after that.

[Benito]

He started out in the Peter Chioda Crew. Later on he wound up in the George Zappola-George Conte Crew. He was busted in 1996 with Conte. Later on he was busted again for running that crack ring.


Pogo

Thanks Pogo. Cleared it up abit. What neighbourhood was he based in, any idea? And when he got busted with Conte. You know what for?

[Pogo The Clown]

Thanks Pogo. Cleared it up abit. What neighbourhood was he based in, any idea? And when he got busted with Conte. You know what for?

Not sure what for. Maybe drugs? As for Galione he was active in Bensunhurst and Bay Ridge. Here is an article on his crack ring.

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Officials Say Mafia Ran Crack Ring In Brooklyn

By RANDY KENNEDY


In a case that law enforcement officials said erodes the myth that the Mafia will not stoop to street-level drug dealing, the United States Attorney in Brooklyn announced the arrest yesterday of 40 people believed to be members of a crack-cocaine ring operated by the Lucchese crime family.

The arrests, made before dawn by hundreds of city police officers and Federal agents, were all the more unusual because prosecutors said the dealers found their customers on the streets of Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge, two largely middle-class Brooklyn neighborhoods thought to have escaped the scourge of crack that swept through the city beginning in the 1980's.

Relying on wiretaps, surveillance and the accounts of former drug dealers who cooperated after being arrested, prosecutors said yesterday that the ring -- under the control of James Galione, a ''made'' or inducted member of the Lucchese family -- had assumed control of most crack and powder cocaine dealing in the neighborhoods as early as 1992.

''In the first instance, Galione actually took over existing street-level crack sales through these neighborhoods and inserted his own crack distributors,'' said Eric Friedberg, the chief of narcotics prosecution in the United States Attorney's office. To consolidate the family's control and increase its profits, Mr. Friedberg said, Mr. Galione exacted a ''street tax'' from other dealers not working for him, supposedly to protect them from rivals.

''In reality,'' he said, ''the tax insured the sellers' continued sales would be free from violent retribution by Galione and his managers.''

Mr. Galione's dealers, prosecutors said, were mostly men in their 20's who lived in the neighborhoods and relied on pagers and sophisticated codes to meet customers and deliver cocaine, in plastic bags, envelopes, and in one case, a Styrofoam cup.

Investigators were unable to say how much money the ring took in, but Carlo A. Boccia, the agent in charge of the New York field division of the Drug Enforcement Agency, said that more than $100,000 was passed on each week to Mr. Galione and other captains, including George Conte, who is now in prison awaiting sentencing in an unrelated murder and racketeering case. Mr. Galione's lawyer, Harry C. Batchelder Jr., did not return telephone calls to his office yesterday.

While the Lucchese family has been associated with the drug trade before -- the former head of the family was convicted in 1974 of running a huge heroin ring -- prosecutors said yesterday that its hands-on involvement with street-corner crack sales was unprecedented.

''Normally, one doesn't think of the local crack pusher as being affiliated with organized crime,'' Mr. Friedberg said. ''But in this case, that's what we found.''

Mr. Galione, who was also charged yesterday in an unrelated murder and racketeering case, was arraigned yesterday at the United States Courthouse in Brooklyn along with the 39 other defendants. All were held pending bail hearings next week.

[Benito]

Thanks Pogo. Cleared it up abit. What neighbourhood was he based in, any idea? And when he got busted with Conte. You know what for?

Not sure what for. Maybe drugs? As for Galione he was active in Bensunhurst and Bay Ridge. Here is an article on his crack ring.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Officials Say Mafia Ran Crack Ring In Brooklyn

By RANDY KENNEDY


In a case that law enforcement officials said erodes the myth that the Mafia will not stoop to street-level drug dealing, the United States Attorney in Brooklyn announced the arrest yesterday of 40 people believed to be members of a crack-cocaine ring operated by the Lucchese crime family.

The arrests, made before dawn by hundreds of city police officers and Federal agents, were all the more unusual because prosecutors said the dealers found their customers on the streets of Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge, two largely middle-class Brooklyn neighborhoods thought to have escaped the scourge of crack that swept through the city beginning in the 1980's.

Relying on wiretaps, surveillance and the accounts of former drug dealers who cooperated after being arrested, prosecutors said yesterday that the ring -- under the control of James Galione, a ''made'' or inducted member of the Lucchese family -- had assumed control of most crack and powder cocaine dealing in the neighborhoods as early as 1992.

''In the first instance, Galione actually took over existing street-level crack sales through these neighborhoods and inserted his own crack distributors,'' said Eric Friedberg, the chief of narcotics prosecution in the United States Attorney's office. To consolidate the family's control and increase its profits, Mr. Friedberg said, Mr. Galione exacted a ''street tax'' from other dealers not working for him, supposedly to protect them from rivals.

''In reality,'' he said, ''the tax insured the sellers' continued sales would be free from violent retribution by Galione and his managers.''

Mr. Galione's dealers, prosecutors said, were mostly men in their 20's who lived in the neighborhoods and relied on pagers and sophisticated codes to meet customers and deliver cocaine, in plastic bags, envelopes, and in one case, a Styrofoam cup.

Investigators were unable to say how much money the ring took in, but Carlo A. Boccia, the agent in charge of the New York field division of the Drug Enforcement Agency, said that more than $100,000 was passed on each week to Mr. Galione and other captains, including George Conte, who is now in prison awaiting sentencing in an unrelated murder and racketeering case. Mr. Galione's lawyer, Harry C. Batchelder Jr., did not return telephone calls to his office yesterday.

While the Lucchese family has been associated with the drug trade before -- the former head of the family was convicted in 1974 of running a huge heroin ring -- prosecutors said yesterday that its hands-on involvement with street-corner crack sales was unprecedented.

''Normally, one doesn't think of the local crack pusher as being affiliated with organized crime,'' Mr. Friedberg said. ''But in this case, that's what we found.''

Mr. Galione, who was also charged yesterday in an unrelated murder and racketeering case, was arraigned yesterday at the United States Courthouse in Brooklyn along with the 39 other defendants. All were held pending bail hearings next week.

Thanks for that Pogo. Really informative. Any idea who was involved in the crack ring? I’ll have a look myself. But any info is appreciated always.

[MichaelGiovanni]

Mike ''Flattop' DeRosa, Ronald 'Messy Marvin Moran, Robert 'Bobby Rags' Gorglione were in the crew

[Benito]

I’ve found Mario Gallo was involved, and a guy named Vincent Nastase, possibly Nastasi? Unsure. Found it here.

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/10/01 ... 844142400/

If anybody else has any info on Galione & his drug gang. Please post. There’s not much on him. Which makes him interesting to me.

[JesusMalverde]

I’ve found Mario Gallo was involved, and a guy named Vincent Nastase, possibly Nastasi? Unsure. Found it here.

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/10/01 ... 844142400/

If anybody else has any info on Galione & his drug gang. Please post. There’s not much on him. Which makes him interesting to me.

mario gallo whacked gus farace with froggy

[John W]

I’ve found Mario Gallo was involved, and a guy named Vincent Nastase, possibly Nastasi? Unsure. Found it here.

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/10/01 ... 844142400/

If anybody else has any info on Galione & his drug gang. Please post. There’s not much on him. Which makes him interesting to me.

mario gallo whacked gus farace with froggy

I think Louie Tuzzio was one of the shooters

[CatStevens9]

There was a documentary made about one of his associates in the crack ring who testified against him Mikey "Flattop" Derossa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CO1iAvY9eo

He survived a shootout with Greg Scarpa Sr

[JesusMalverde]

that’s how greg got shot in the eye

[CornerBoy]

mario has been home awhile- he was training at a gym on 86th street

RIP louie-- big fight outside a club in the 80's on long island and tuzzio's pants got sliced up--he was wearing leopard speedos

Billy morrissey was a runner (rudy farone's nephew)

[Targenmantarian]

Galione was eating in Little Italy when Mikey Scars and Trevor McDonald spun the block filming that documentary.

[newera_212]

mario has been home awhile- he was training at a gym on 86th street

RIP louie-- big fight outside a club in the 80's on long island and tuzzio's pants got sliced up--he was wearing leopard speedos

Billy morrissey was a runner (rudy farone's nephew)

Mario Gallo also recently (i.e. in the last 5-8 years) involved in another bust. a fairly big round up, something pertaining to a job at the docks and maybe even the ILA.

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny ... -1.1736220

article refers to him as a Lucchese associate, however at the time of the Farace hit I believe he was on record with the Bonnanos just like Galione

as badly as its written, Michelle McPhee’s book about Chris Paciello and Miami has a ton of info on the Galione crew (and the Bath Ave crew) as Paciello was loosely connected to a variety of young kids in BK/SI back then. most of her stuff im guessing came from DeRosa’s cooperation and police reports but its the most info ive seen on that little crew outside of stuff posted on the message boards

i remember an older RD poster from Brooklyn back in the day saying Gallo and Galione were the toughest “kids” he knew