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Each time he moved was to stay close to Joseph Laratro who also made the migration from Corona to Bayside/Little Neck, and then to exclusive Lloyd Harbor (2 Bouton Road), a Huntington hamlet.
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He would later move several more times within the exclusive Nassau County communities of; Oyster Bay Cove (5 Grace Lane), Muttontown and Old Brookville.
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Note: [fun fact, Neil always kept a rooftop pidgeon-coop over his Corona apartment growing up. A hobby he continued into adulthood and his later years. Even while living among multi-million dollar estates on LI’s Gold Coast, he maintained his prized pet pidgeons]
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Note: [he had a father Americo, who had been mis-identified as a mob member, he was legitimate, but was friendly with this network, specifically Joe Laratro - top Lucchese member, who he was close neighborhood friends with]
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Note: [he was also related by marriage to Anthony Romanello - Neil married his sister]
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FBI # 284211E, NYCPD # B-522599.
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By the mid-1950’s he had been arrested several times for bookmaking and had been labeled a (KG) or known gambler by Queens police.
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By the late 1950’s, early 1960’s he was identified as a gambling subordinate and minion of Joseph (Joey Narrow) Laratro, one of two co-captains in the Lucchese Family who lived in Corona and controlled that area, as well as, other adjoining northern Queens neighborhoods for that Family.
Note: [although he was subordinate to Joseph Lucchese as well. It was Laratro who Neil was closer with, and worked with on a daily basis]
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Note: [Neil would gain a lot of exposure and some prominence after the 1957 Apalachin meeting upstate. His car license plate was identified as being in the general vicinity of the meet, leading to LE speculation that he attended the infamous bbq..... that’s NOT true! Joe Laratro and Joe Lucchese had borrowed his car to drive up there. They had been in a fender-bender with a local, and when it was revealed during later investigations, Neil’s name came up, making people think he attended ...... as a young guy (23) at the time, he loved it! Because it gave him “juice” on the street as a big man, but the reality was a bit different]
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By the mid-1960’s LE was listing him as a “soldier” in the Family.
-
Note: [although Migliore was being carried as an inducted soldier, it was not until the later 1970’s that he was indeed officially “inducted” by “Tony Ducks” Corallo..... LE informants did this often. Identifying men who indeed they thought were “made”, and in reality may have been “proposed” for membership, but who had to wait till the 1970’s for the “books” to actually open up]
—
In future years under Corallo, Neil would rise to become a top captain for Tony Ducks. Eventually he would serve either as his “consigliere” or “acting underboss”. And with Corallo’s jailing for 100 years in 1986, Migliore helped hold the Family together during its transitional period of instability.
-
Eventually this “recognition” and his perceived influence in the hierarchy caused much jealousy and suspicion among certain elements of the Family, namely the Brooklyn wing previously under Christopher (Ticker) Furnari
...... it would lead to trouble!
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Activities:
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Bookmaking (horses-sports)
Policy (Manhattan number)
Shylocking
Police-bribery
Extortion
Labor racketeering
Cigarette smuggling
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Criminal record started appx 1957 for:
-
bookmaking (4 times)
policy (3 times)
possession of gambling records
disorderly conduct
bribery and conspiracy
racketeering
racketeering conspiracy
bid-rigging
restraint of trade
extortion
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Legitimate business interests included:
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A. Migliore Tile Contractor - 103rd Street (37th Ave), Corona. A small 1940’s tile-setting firm started by his father that Neil would later use to involve himself and Corallo in construction projects.
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Migliore Funeral Homes - 37-20 104th Street (37th Road), and 49-01 104th St (49th Ave), both Corona. Both funeral homes were actually owned and operated by his sister Raffaele (Rae) for decades who was a licensed mortician
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Gossip’s Club - a large nude nightclub on Rt.110 in Melville, LI
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other real estate and construction investments over the years included several parcels of land in the Huntington LI area that he’d bought earlier for rental income.
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Criminal associates over the years included:
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Joseph (Joe Brown) Lucchese - brother to Tommy, gambling power, head of the Corona regime and his brothers eyes and ears for decades.
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Joseph (Joe Narrow) Laratro - close partner of Joe Lucchese, co-head of the Corona regime for four decades.
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Antonio (Tony Ducks) Corallo - a Queens based longtime captain who became boss by the mid-1970’s, Neil’s eventual sponsor and mentor.
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Frank (Frankie Bell) Campanello - bagman and key gambling operative of the Corona crew from the 1940’s through early 1960’s era.
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Anthony (Nino Brown) Lucchese - a brother to the other Lucchese’s and Queens gambler. An “associate” but never formally inducted.
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Eugenio (Little Gene) Giannone - top Corona crew based bookie and Lucchese confidant and associate.
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Joseph (Joe Bikini) Brocchini - another Corona crew member, later killed by Roy Demeo in 1976.
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Andimo (Tommy Noto) Pappadio - an influential capo who would be killed during a family power struggle for the leadership between he and Tony Ducks.
..........and in later years as he rose into the Family hierarchy, he dealt with among others;
-
Salvatore (Tom Mix) Santora - became underboss to Corallo. A Bronx power
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Christopher (Christie Ticker) Furnari - longtime soldier who would become consigliere during Corallo’s tenure
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Anthony (Fat Tony) Salerno - active with Neil in coordinating construction rackets between the two families
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Steven Crea Sr. - current acting head of the Family, “panel member”
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Joseph (Joe D) DiNapoli - a Bronx based heroin trafficker and member who became very powerful in later years serving on the “ruling panel”
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Matthew Madonna - notorious Harlem heroin dealer, part of a recent “ruling panel” with Migliore
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Neil Migliore started out as a kid in the Queens neighborhood of Corona as a numbers runner for Joey Narrow, Neil’s father Americo having been a “compare” to Laratro.
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Laratro took a liking to Neil and brought him along closer, allowing him to become a sort of “right hand” or “man Friday” to Laratro despite his young age.
-
Neil Migliore was soon helping to coordinate a huge bookmaking and policy operation based in Corona that also took “action” in major adjoining areas such as; Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Woodside, Flushing, Bayside, Rego Park, etc.
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Note: [during the era I’m speaking of, Corona was arguably the “Little Italy” of Queens, with a huge Italian population]
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SPECIAL MOB SUB-STORY: .........
The following sub-story is completely true! I retell this highly sensitive and little known event of mafia history that happened in the early 1960’s as a special “treat” if you will to tantalize our readers with something so secretive, so special, that most mob guys have never even heard it told..... the only “friends” who have ever heard this tale would have to have been of that era and very well “plugged in” so to speak! ..... I’d estimate 95% of them are dead!..... so consider this a “present” fella’s!..... an early Christmas gift if you will!
—- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —-
One afternoon, appx 1960-62, Neil Migliore was accosted on 108th Street by the Mangiapane brothers in Corona (Frankie, Lenny and Joey), who were all pro-boxers as well as Lucchese associates themselves.
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They jumped out of their car and immediately attacked Neil, hitting him square in the head with a hammer, knocking him to the ground. At that point the brothers held him down while they proceeded to rip and cut at his legs with carpet knives, attempting to cut his cock and balls off to stuff in his mouth!
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Although badly injured, Neil was squirming like a fish, fighting for his very life, and trying to save himself because he knew what they had in mind for him.
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After several minutes of this carnage, the Mangiapane’s took off, leaving a badly injured and bloodied Migliore semi-conscious on the pavement, bleeding like a pig!
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Fortunately Neil’s private parts although mangled, were still connected to him, but the carpet knives used had torn through his pants, ripping many veins and muscles in his legs and waist. He recovered but would always bare the scars of the attack and have trouble walking thereafter!
——
Of course the Corona underworld was abuzz with what had happened. Basically, it was to become a deadly conflict, and somebody or several were gonna die!
-
The two Joey’s - Joe Brown and Joey Narrow - the neighborhood bosses stepped in immediately to stop further bloodshed. Although Migliore was defended by Laratro, the Mangiapane brothers had Dempsey Laietta in their corner!
-
The reason behind the assault was the strong belief that Migliore had attempted to have an affair with one of the brothers wives who shall remain nameless...... that is a big No No among connected guys. (I don’t know if there was any truth to the accusation. But the Mangiapane brothers certainly thought it to be true)
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That offense of course, in Cosa Nostra, is in-defendable! ...... it is punishable by death! There is NO defense!
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Well, after several “sit downs” it was ironed out that the whole event was to be “squashed”, with no retaliation by either side!
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Whoever should violate the covenant would die a painful death!
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That was approximately 1960-62 if memory serves me correctly. For over fifty years that pact held firm. And although certainly not fans of one another, and coming from the same neighborhood no less, both Migliore and the fratelli Mangiapane steered clear of one another over the coming years!
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THATS one story you’ll never hear or read about in any mob book! Lol
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I recite this now and provide the bio on Neil because he’s dead and my words cannot hurt him in any way!
-
..........Now back to the main story!
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During the late 1950’s and early 1960’s he was arrested several times on bookie charges.
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One incident that comes to mind was Neil being arrested with Eddie Superna and Israel Tan (two often arrested master wireroom “clerks”)
who were nabbed during an early morning raid on a residential home on 43rd Avenue in Corona.
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It was a quiet Sunday morning and they were caught red-handed tallying up all the baseball action from over that weekend. Adding machines, tally sheets and ribbons, etc.
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But in those days you could easily “buy” your way out of the pinch! Especially if you were “on the pad”
already!
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They were each fined and given a suspended sentence.
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This would be the case with several similar future arrests!
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In 1967, he and Laratro were arrested by the Suffolk rackets squad for their operation and control over a vast multi-county (Queens, Nassau and Suffolk) gambling ring that was alleged by LE to gross $15,000,000. annually and have 65 runners.
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Subsequently, in the coming years, several “aides” of Migliore were also arrested including; Thomas (Red) DiMaio and Sam DiMaggio, further disrupting their gambling operation.
—-
Neil would eventually lose at trial and receive a one-year sentence for a policy conviction. He served his bit in the Suffolk County Jail.
-
Note: [at that time, in 1971, Migliore was said to be broke. Upon his release from jail, he had to reinvent himself]
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In 1974, Migliore was among a gaggle of hoods and a policeman who were indicted for the attempted systematic bribery of Queens gambling squad detectives to “buy” protection for their bookmaking and other gambling activities in Corona and elsewhere.
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Also indicted with Migliore were Lucchese mob figures Frank (Frankie A) Altimari, Nicholas (The Baron) Bonina, Anthony (Rom) Romanello, Frank Ruggiero, Richard Rubino, Thomas (Red) DeMaio, and brothers Michael (Mikey Strutz) and William (Willy Strutz) Struzzieri on bribery charges along with a NYPD Police Officer James Maxwell in order to protect the gambling ring.
-
Note: [officer Maxwell had grown up in Corona and was a boyhood friend of theirs. So it was natural he’d conspire and team up with them]
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Over the years Migliore would come to know and become familiar with most of the key members of the early Lucchese Family, many of whom lived in neighboring towns to Corona.
-
Once Laratro “retired” down to Hallandale, Florida by 1970 or so, Neil tied his fortunes to Anthony Corallo, a nearby neighbor in the Whitestone-Malba area who he’d come to know over the years.
-
With the blessing of Laratro, Neil was now “put with” Corallo. With Corallo’s ascension to the helm of the Family, Neil was soon formally “inducted”!
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From that point forward, Migliore would soar in both financial success and influence. With Corallo’s backing, he dropped away from the gambling rackets which had lost their luster, appeal and profitability (with the advent of OTB and Lotto) and concentrated on building semi-legitimate businesses such as the tile business, a trade which he’d learned from his father.
-
Using the Family control of construction union-locals over which the Lucchese’s dominated at the time, he was able to gain major sub-contract work for the supply and installation of marble and tile within various NYC construction projects.
-
They made many, many millions together!
————
In time he made a connection in the quarries of Italy to escavate and import his own tile and marble products, thereby increasing his profit margins tremendously.
-
Note: [he was said to have become the exclusive tile-marble supplier to Home Depot for years which put he and Corallo over the top financially]
—————-
Also during this era, with his kid marrying into the Albicocco family of Huntington (Sam Albicocco was a major construction firm owner and businessman from the area), he became Sam’s “salesman” for Dock Port & Stone Inc., a major supplier of “shale rock” - integral to the foundation of roadways before black-topping them. Shale rock was “crushed stone” which is laid down before paving major road projects.
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This gave him and the Lucchese’s heavy influence over several major LI construction companies including; Zara Construction and Hendrickson Bros., two of the major firms in the NYC-LI area for decades.
-
Note: [during this era, the mid-1970’s, Migliore was almost a daily visitor with Tony Corallo, to a popular Italian restaurant in Huntington at the time - Orlando’s - on New Street. Top politicians and businessmen along with Lucchese mobsters were known to hang out there. John Del Mastro - a shady business figure who owned Orlando and also the Chain-Link Fence Co., of Smithtown, Sam Albicocco, as well as numerous local politicians were said be an “unholy mix” and threat to the very fabric of Suffolk government. Several Newsday expose’s identified them and investigations were started]
————-
Migliore was no longer handling or active in any real “street rackets” such as gambling, shylocking, etc. He may have financed a few soldiers activities but for the most part he just basically stayed legitimate.
-
What did he need at that point? He was extremely well off financially, had gotten a taste of prison, didn’t want to go back, and knew LE was always watching him.
-
So after Corallo, his mentor, got the 100 years in the “Commission Case”, he tried to stay in the background and if anything, just keep an administrative position within the three man hierarchy. He was a very well-respected (although not widely liked) member of the family!
-
Migliore's reign ended when he too was indicted in 1986 and jailed on a massive 1988 racketeering conviction for bid-rigging in the construction industry. He was released from prison in 1991 when his conviction was overturned on appeal. This case involved scores of others including Fat Tony Salerno, Vinny DiNapoli, top Cleveland mobsters and construction firm owners.
-
Note: [Neil had only served about thirty months before reversing his conviction. He had hit the equivalent of the mob lottery!...... who else do you know had their 24-year jail term thrown out!..... THATS what I call luck!]
————-
But a big problem was brewing with Amuso and Casso having seized the hierarchy of the Family.
-
There was a tremendous jealousy and fear of Migliore and his possible attempt to grab the “boss seat”!
-
True or not! ..... Real, imagined or perceived, soon Vic Amuso (not secure in his own skin as far as his control of the Family went), tried to eliminate the competition!
One evening in 1992, Migliore (59) was shotgunned right through the front plate-glass window at Tesoro Italian Restaurant in Westbury. He made the near-fatal mistake of positioning himself with his side facing the window, at a front table no less, allowing his two Lucchese assailants to drive-by slowly and pump a shell from a .12 gauge right through the glass dead-on! ...... miraculously he survived!
-
Note: [the two would-be killers were obviously less than professional in their preparation for Migliore’s planned gangland “departure”]
-
In critical but stable condition at the hospital, Neil had taken several shotgun pellets to the face and shoulder, but he sustained non-life threatening injuries..... after his release, this caused him to really step back and be wary for his life!
-
Knowing that he was up for the “hit parade” if he didn’t!
————
A few years later, after Amuso, Casso and their mob followers had all crashed and burned, slowly Neil “re-emerged”, showing his face again in public. He tried to realign and ingratiate himself with the powers that be. Although Vic Amuso was doing life in prison, he was still the boss! Word is that Neil sent him a large “envelope” ($100K or so) to make his peace and offer an “olive branch” so to speak.
-
It was obviously accepted because in the coming years he would become somewhat active again with the hierarchy.
————-
During the last 5-6 years or so, Neil was in declining health! All the years of wear and tear on his body began to show. In recent years he walked very slowly, and steadied himself with a cane.
————-
Aniello (Neil) Migliore died several days ago on September 12, 2019 ....
He was 85 years old!
-
Neil, despite several murder attempts over the years on his life and two short prison stints he served, had led a pretty charmed life!
-
First under the umbrella of Joey Narrow, and next under the protection of Tony Ducks, Neil became, undoubtedly, one of the richest mafioso in the city of New York among the Five Families!
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He amassed a multi-million dollar portfolio of real estate, stocks and businesses any Wall Street tycoon would be proud of!
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And lived a life that many a mafioso would come to envy!
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