He confessed to the charges and hired Policy to defend him, but then recanted his confession. "Yes," Strollo responded. Canfield - There will be a Mass of Christian Burial held on Monday, January 30, 2017 at 11:00 am at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 7345 Westview Dr., Boardman, with Father Philip Rogers officiating for Edina M. "Dee" Strollo, 87, of Canfield, who passed away peacefully Thursday morning, January 26, 2017 with her . He pointed out the power of Charles "The Crab" Carabbia, who for 25 years helped run card and dice games for the Cleveland mob in working-class towns like Struthers and Campbell. LCN was active well into the 90s there the union rackets and gambling. Editors Dante Strollo, the brother of Youngstown, Ohio, mob boss Lenny Strollo - photo above, died on Tuesday. Hit and Miss Armstrong spent almost two years giving Morford and Lynch insider access to the mob. put you in charge of the Youngstown rackets for the Pittsburgh family, correct?" Strollo also fingered Riddle and Turnage, black street thugs Strollo had used to recruit drug dealers to gamble in the various card and dice games controlled by the Youngstown mob. Carabbia's killing came with consequences, though. With Morford just a few feet away, Milano breezily predicted a happy end for the Youngstown don. One longtime Strollo friend says Danny always cared much more about his winemaking hobby than he did about the mob rackets. New York I told them I wanted to be paid, I wanted protection, oversight and was prepared to wear a wire and show them where to place their bugs, including the rooms at the Stardust Motel in North Lima where Strollo and the other mobsters met.. The mob knew the FBI was watching, but that proved to be only an occasional annoyance--like when agents raided a 1995 Super Bowl party, seized $15,000 and some gambling equipment, and arrested Jeep Garono and Danny Strollo, among others. He would continually tell friends that the federal government was misguided in targeting the Mafia, because taking down the mob would only create a vacuum that would be filled by more ruthless criminals. Podcasts Greene fell victim to the same technique five months later. Questioned later by prosecutors, the jeweler said the ring Wilkins pawned was tough to forget--after all, not many have the initials "EB" spelled in diamond nuggets. Unscathed by the Traficant trial, Prato retired from his life of crime and died of a heart attack in 1988 at the age of 81. Although he was facing a prison sentence, he refused to give up Strollo. Mayfield Heights resident James Teresi pleaded guilty to running an illegal gambling business. But jail might have been the safest place for a Youngstown mobster in the 1960s. Gains fumbled for his cell phone, dialed 911, and waited for help to arrive. Try again later. Then I passed out.". "Bernie the Jew," as his mob associates called the 68-year-old Altshuler, looked bored as he entered the courtroom, resigned to the fact that his lifetime of crime would end in prison. Later, Strollo, standing to address the judge, his voice faltering, offered apologies to anyone he'd hurt intentionally or unintentionally and apologized to the court. Biography [ edit] Early years [ edit] Anthony Strollo was born in New York City, the son of Calabrian immigrants Leone and Giovannina Nigro. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Despite his deeds, federal authorities asked for a reduced sentence for Lenine "Lenny" Strollo, longtime crime boss of Youngstown, because of . She was employed for many years as a production clerk for General Fireproofing Company. To the "young lady who spoke [Rich]," he hoped that the good Lord would give her comfort. A bigger problem for Strollo was what to do with Biondillo, who was encroaching on his turf and making noise about being the "new kid on the block." She said his federal time will include safety considerations to protect him from those he testified against and will run concurrent with two concurrent 10-year state prison terms. The once-powerful organized crime figure was indicted Dec. 10, 1997, on Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations violations of aggravated murder (of rival Ernie Biondillo Jr. in June 1996), casino-style gambling and numbers lottery. Three hours later, following stiff federal sentencing guidelines that left her with little choice, O'Malley sentenced the trio to life in prison. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. "So, they . Philadelphia She called Strollo a hypocrite for attending her father's funeral and shaking her hand. WebberSites Website Design and Development "Approximately when did this occur? She also loved her Golden Girls sisters trips to many Casinos and enjoyed spending family time with everyone. One of those challengers was John Nardi, a reputed murderer and drug smuggler who was an officer of Cleveland Teamsters Local 410. Lynch said the information provided by the snitch was invaluable. "And can you tell us what role you played in that murder?" As for Altshuler, Riddle, and Turnage, even their lawyers were not completely sure why they took a bad gamble on a life sentence. "I had lost any sensation of pain. Riddle, 2001-Ohio-3484.] You can always change this later in your Account settings. East Coast "It was a total upset," Strollo said. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. According to testimony at the trial, Riddle, Harris, and Batcho began targeting Gains in the spring of 1996, not long after his primary victory. Morford said that Mahoning County, when the organized crime investigation began in 1994, was corrupt, violent and out of control. All Rights Reserved. Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Crooked City: Youngstown, OH ad-free right now. "I thought, I'm gonna die," Gains recalls. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Drag images here or select from your computer for Edina M. Dee Strollo memorial. Biondillo's elder brother, Anthony Biondillo, 69, said Morford painted Strollo as a saint. All it took was for one of the players to be nabbed by the feds with a fist full of dollars, and the rest was history. By Mandel was a former U.S. attorney within the Justice Department. My Kind of Crime Town In lieu of flowers and to honor Dees life, the family requests material donations be made to Hospice of the Valley, 5190 Market St., Boardman, Ohio 44512. . Lenny was born April 21, 1931, in Youngstown, the son of the late Dominic and Antoinette Cavallo Strollo and . "Yes," he replied. Morford said he found Strollo to be the most cooperative and productive witness he'd seen in 20 years as a prosecutor. May 20, 2021. cartel This browser does not support getting your location. Court documents show that the 1995 Super Bowl raid Strollo dismissed as an annoyance actually provided the springboard to the investigation that made a defector out of the Strollos and Garono and sent Altshuler, Riddle, and Turnage to prison for life. Failed to remove flower. Canfield There will be a Mass of Christian Burial held on Monday, January 30, 2017 at 11:00 am at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 7345 Westview Dr., Boardman, with Father Philip Rogers officiating for Edina M. Dee Strollo, 87, of Canfield, who passed away peacefully Thursday morning, January 26, 2017 with her loving family by her side. According to Harris's testimony, Riddle asked Batcho if Gains was dead. Unlike Scalish, the white-haired, cane-carrying Prato also named a successor before he died--Naples, now answering only to Pittsburgh. Instead, the mob moved into rackets like gambling, loan-sharking, and controlling the vending businesses. "Jeff Riddle said, going into this case, 'Don't make me a snitch, and make my accusers look me in the eye,'" Milano says. After court, Synenberg said it was a fair sentence under the circumstances and Morford's remarks were "on point" about the help Strollo gave the government. February 27, 2023, 5:15 PM. Based in Washington, D.C., Stiller travels the country assisting in organized-crime prosecutions. Mob Hits Sitting in the U.S. attorney's law library on the fifteenth floor of the Bank One building, Morford, Wooley, and Kroner note wryly that the mob's arrogance was a factor, too. Using the evidence garnered from those conversations, Morford and Kroner were able to get a court order allowing agents to hide microphones and tap the phones at Mr. A's eatery, a reputed mob hangout. In mid-1968, Armstrong was arrested for armed robbery, kidnapping, intentional shooting with intent to kill and rape. While Scalish kept mob peace in Cleveland, Youngstown was at war. When he refused, Strollo knew his leadership was being threatened. He became a government witness in 1997 . But increased federal pressure and an influx of new ethnic and racial groups have radically changed the face of organized crime, decimating enterprises that were traditionally controlled by a few Italian families. The moment Biondillo was trapped, they pulled down their ski masks, brandished shotguns, and rushed his car. Final Nail In The Coffin: The Mafia In Mahoning Valley Officially Dead With Passing Of Lenny Strollo, Youngstown's Last Don 2 years ago Scott Burnstein . ", He quickly gets hold of himself, clears his throat, and gets angry. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? For nearly eight hours over two days, Lenny Strollo took the stand in the storied courthouse and gave a fascinating behind-the-scenes account of organized crime in northern Ohio. Arrangements have been entrusted to the professional care of the Rossi & Santucci Funeral Home, 4221 Market St., Boardman (new location). U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. O'Malley said Gains' being able to "take off his victim hat" and defer to the government "had great impact on me." This website no guarantee about the precision of the information accessible. Gains puts down his cigar and whips out a black and silver handgun he keeps strapped at his side. When guys like Lawrence "Jeep" Garono and even Strollo's older brother Dante struck deals with the feds, Strollo, a man known for weighing his options very carefully, realized he had little choice. Of the 46 people indicted from a four-year FBI probe of organized crime and corruption in the Mahoning Valley, 42 people took plea bargains, including Lenine "Lenny" Strollo, a made man in the Pittsburgh Mafia who ran the Youngstown rackets. The Fall Of Youngstown Mob Boss Lenny Strollo. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. He's still in Washington, the ultimate outsider, railing on the House floor about the need to put tanks on the Mexican border to keep out illegal immigrants and the need to increase tariffs to keep out foreign steel. After a new county prosecutor . Downtown Youngstown is often eerily quiet around 6 p.m., a ghost town when most cities and suburbs are still struggling through traffic gridlock. When Lenny Strollo testified at the federal courthouse, he was only a few miles from where the old Hotel Statler used to stand. The county prosecutor said maybe getting shot was worth it because what followed was the dismantling of a corrupt organization. Sorry! Twenty-six years later, that assessment would still be true. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. With good behavior, the former mob boss could be out in late 2008. Interview Nine days later police found the car, but no Moceri. The judge said the federal Bureau of Prisons can continue to handle the medical needs of Strollo, who turns 73 in April. But his monopoly of the corn sugar business was threatened when the Porrello brothers moved here from Sicily. Learn more about merges. "The death of Lenny Strollo? Lenny Strollo, the former mobster once credited by the FBI with operating America's biggest illegal casino, has died at age 90. On August 22, 1976, Moceri was tooling around Cleveland's Little Italy in his girlfriend's Lincoln Continental. Fumbled for his cell phone, dialed 911, and controlling the vending businesses the information provided the. 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