He then called the two FBI agents who were assigned to the organized crime division in the Youngstown office, Larry Lynch and Craig Morford, and offered his services. One of the victims was Charles Carabbia, whose older brother Ronnie palled around with Edward DeBartolo Jr. until Ronnie was convicted in 1979 of flipping the switch that killed Greene. He should know. Sorry! Local Mandy Jenkins, digital news pioneer who founded Mahoning Matters, dies at age 42. This is a carousel with slides. 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. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio A former mob boss whose criminal enterprise helped earn Youngstown the name "Crimetown U.S.A" before turning federal witness has died at age 90. "And can you tell us what role you played in that murder?" When Gallo was convicted of drug-related racketeering, Judge John Manos required every man in his courtroom to wear a tie. Anthony C. Strollo (June 18, 1899 - disappeared April 8, 1962), also known as "Tony Bender", was a New York mobster who served as a high-ranking capo of the Genovese crime family for several decades. As the top Mafia don in Ohio's Mahoning Valley, he presided over the killings and disappearances in and around Youngstown from his farm in nearby Canfield, where he tended his gardens and ate. ft. home. But if Strollo's contempt for the feds was increasing, so was their infiltration of the Youngstown mob. The funeral home handling arrangements on Thursday confirmed Lenine "Lenny" Strollo's death. He pleaded guilty to five more crimes in. But when he comes out to greet a visitor, Gains is more like the anti-Atticus. With good behavior, the former mob boss could be out in late 2008. If Youngstown is one of the most depressing places in America, Murdock Street is one of the most depressing stretches in Youngstown. Strollo was the final mob boss in Mahoning Valley history. Since then, he has participated in countless interviews with FBI agents and federal prosecutors, and testified at trials. Strollo told of having cases fixed for Riddle, Turnage, and Harris. When Biondillo turned down Murdock Street off Himrod Avenue, he couldn't get his rose-colored Cadillac through the narrow street. With the justice system in his pocket and the drug dealers gambling, Strollo's criminal empire was thriving. Strollo reached a plea agreement and became a government witness in February 1999. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. The indictments included two Clevelanders. She enjoyed crocheting, cooking and baking for her family and friends and made the best Biscotti for everyone. 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. "I couldn't believe there was a place as corrupt as Mahoning County," Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Stiller said as she left Judge O'Malley's courtroom. She also loved her Golden Girls sisters trips to many Casinos and enjoyed spending family time with everyone. The inner-city drug dealers. East Coast Located roughly halfway between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, Youngstown and its organized crime rackets were traditionally divided between the Mafia families in those two cities. 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. But Strollo and Altshuler had a plan. The ambush flashed into Cleveland's first mob war, which left four Lonardos and seven Porrellos dead. "It was a tough time for me. Despite his deeds, federal authorities asked for a reduced sentence for Lenine "Lenny" Strollo, longtime crime boss of Youngstown, because of . Strollo, 68, pleaded guilty last month to running the operation in eastern Ohio, plotting to kill a rival gang leader, running a numbers game and bribing officials. O'Malley read the verdicts unemotionally. "There was a tremendous amount of hard work that went into this case, but also some luck," says Morford, a forty-year-old who looks younger. Biondillo had been paying off politicians on his own and putting video poker machines in private clubs in Hillsville, Pennsylvania--Strollo's territory--without telling the mob boss. Year should not be greater than current year. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Resend Activation Email. The city's first mob boss, "Big Joe" Lonardo, rose to that position by controlling the flow of corn sugar, a key ingredient used by bootleggers. Just like that, the federal investigation had expanded from illegal gambling to racketeering and public corruption. Lenny Strollo, the former mobster once credited by the FBI with operating America's biggest illegal casino, has died at age 90. Or, in this case, as a group of small-time flunkies from downstate who turned out to be a bunch of squealers and chumps. Strollo needn't have worried. Strollo had met Altshuler in the mid-1970s, when they set up a craps game together. Besides her parents, Dee was preceded in death by a sister Alice Palermo and two brothers Dante and Dominic Strollo. We know that Lenine is single at this point. "Well, it was a get-together of other members, and you took a, you took an oath, and it was drawing blood from your finger and burning a religious card and taking an oath of silence.". Strollo, both hands clasped on his cane, showed no emotion as he sat and listened to Rich's remarks, sometimes glancing her way. 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. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. In addition, University Heights attorney Stewart Mandel pleaded guilty last year to filing a false corporate income tax return. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. "The mob thought they had lightning in a bottle with the drug dealers," says Milano. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. It was a place of conflict and collaboration as it was considered Pittsburg's turf. The hotel earned a degree of infamy in 1928, when Cleveland police broke up what was the first known meeting of the Mafia's national bosses. The government was able to build its case by convincing lower-echelon criminals to roll over on their superiors. Learn more about merges. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Batcho, whose state trial is scheduled to begin next month in Youngstown, allegedly pulled the trigger of his .38-caliber handgun. Burial will take place at Calvary Cemetery, Youngstown. Judge O'Malley, meanwhile, permitted Melissa Biondillo Rich of Boardman to give a victim-impact statement. Nearly fifty years later, "Big Ange" entered the witness protection program and became the highest-ranking mafioso to defect. In mid-1968, Armstrong was arrested for armed robbery, kidnapping, intentional shooting with intent to kill and rape. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. He was arrested at his Canfield home and remained in protective custody until he reached a plea agreement and became a government witness. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Some speculate that Altshuler, at age 68, figured accepting a plea bargain and serving ten to fifteen years was the equivalent of a life sentence anyway. And, in a surprise twist, Strollo said under oath, Carabbia's killing was done with the blessing of either Licavoli or Lonardo. The Saturday Evening Post memorably summarized the situation with a March 1963 story called "Crime Town U.S.A.," in which John Kobler wrote: "Youngstown has had 75 bombings, 11 killings in a decade, and no one seems to care." . At one point Strollo is heard telling a caller, "I don't feel that we should have people listening in on our conversation. Instead, the mob moved into rackets like gambling, loan-sharking, and controlling the vending businesses. Vericora and the data available through this service may not be used to make resolutions about consumer employment, insurance, credit, housing or for any other goals that would require FCRA compliance. Failed to report flower. By 1998, Wilkins, Blair, and Harris had all pleaded guilty and agreed to testify about their roles in the shootings of Biondillo and Gains. 2023 Strollo Architects LLC. One longtime Strollo friend says Danny always cared much more about his winemaking hobby than he did about the mob rackets. 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." In 1963 Strollo was arrested for counterfeiting $10 bills and, after a lengthy appeal, served jail time in 1967. All Rights Reserved. He took in the jury's verdict with a smirk, then struck out in the only way he could. Lenine Strollo is 91 years old today because Lenine's birthday is on 04/21/1931. That raid would eventually lead to a major headache for Strollo, though he wouldn't know it until it was too late. Riddle turned his head, surveyed the courtroom, and released a loud, defiant . The balance of power changed irrevocably in 1976, when Cleveland don John Scalish died unexpectedly during open-heart surgery without having named a successor. Twenty-six years later, that assessment would still be true. Waiting in the shadow of a nearby house were Cleveland Blair and George Wilkins. When he refused, Strollo knew his leadership was being threatened. Gains's office is in the Mahoning County Courthouse, a magnificent four-story building erected in 1908. With the death of Lenine Strollo, brings the an end of the era when the mafia controlled the the region. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Lenny was blessed with a very large and loving family. one of the men who participated in Uncategorized Detroit Featured Recreational Residential Senior Living Private Residence Private Residence Canfield, Ohio Strollo completed new construction of a 27,000 sq. Everything, from murder charges to alleged robberies to simple DUIs, was watered down or thrown out. Tags: Mafia, Members Only, mob, ohio, ohio mafia, ohio mob, pittsburgh, pittsburgh mafia, Pittsburgh mob, scott burnstein, tiny, youngstown, youngstown mafia, youngstown mob. May 20, 2021 - Disgraced former Youngstown (OH) mob don Lenny Strollo died of natural causes this week at the age of 91, living quietly in the shadows of his old mafia kingdom forced to wear the scarlet letter of a cooperator. Gains' victim-impact statement likely helped shorten former mob boss Lenny Strollo's prison term. By South "Probably three, four months," Strollo said. Strollo, using a cane, walked slowly into Judge O'Malley's court wearing a gray sweat shirt and navy blue sweat pants. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. When his stepson was charged with a DUI, Strollo said he took care of Judge Martin Emrich by having landscaping work done at his house. Dee was also the cherished aunt of many nieces and nephews as well as a great aunt and great-great aunt of many more. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Both the Pittsburgh and Cleveland Mafia factions had been paying bribes to recently elected Mahoning County Sheriff James Traficant to protect their gambling interests. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) - Notorious Youngstown mob boss Lenny Strollo has died. Although he was facing a prison sentence, he refused to give up Strollo. According to testimony at the trial, Riddle, Harris, and Batcho began targeting Gains in the spring of 1996, not long after his primary victory. 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