Reputed mobster shoots man for heckling singer

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/12/24/mobster.restaurant.reut/index.html

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- The scene in one of New York's fabled Italian restaurants would have done "The Sopranos" TV scriptwriters proud -- a reputed mobster shot a man dead for heckling a woman singer.

Police said Broadway chanteuse Rena Strober was singing "Don't Rain on My Parade" at Rao's, an East Harlem restaurant, Monday night when a patron, Albert Circelli, criticized her performance.

Reputed Luchese crime family associate Louis Barone told him to watch his mouth but when Circelli swore in response, Barone pulled out a .38 caliber revolver and shot him in the back, police said.

A second shot fired by Barone hit another diner, Al Petraglia, 57, in the foot, police said. Barone dropped the revolver, walked out of the restaurant and was arrested by police officers.

Circelli, 37, died of his wounds and Petraglia was treated in the hospital, police said.

Rao's is a 10-table restaurant that accommodates only 40 people. It has a reputation for exclusivity and a Mafia mystique, but police said the shooting was not a mob "hit."

Barone, 67, has a record of arrests for gambling and weapons possession dating back four decades. He could be a character in "The Sopranos," a popular cable TV show about an organized crime family in neighboring New Jersey.

Barone appeared in Manhattan criminal court Wednesday on charges of second degree murder, assault and weapons possession. If convicted, he faces 25 years to life.

New York tabloids had a field day."Songfella" read the front page of the Daily News, "Bullets Bolognese at Rao's as wiseguy whacks a wise guy who insults singer." The New York Post headline was "Swan Song" and "Diva diss sparked geezer's gunfire."
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Just thought I would share the info

Disaffected

Well that's just plain stupid. Since this guy is a reputed mobster you'd think he'd want to keep a low profile.

That's not the way you do that.

Even if the guy was critisizing the singer, just let it go, you don't pull out a .38 revolver and shoot the guy.

The NYTimes gave this story a big sendup. Rao's is famous for not accepting reservations and being next to impossible for anyone other than the rich, famous and mobbed-up to get a table. One of the owners, Frank Pellegrino, appeared in "Goodfellas" (as Johnny Dio, the guy who was frying steaks in prison). Sonny Grosso, who was one of the two principals of "The French Connection," was present at this shooting.

Supposedly, the ten tables at Rao's are "owned", meaning that a different person owns each table every night of the week. The only way to get in there is if the owner of the table gives it to you for that night.

I've been there once. The food was mediocre. It's all about the mystique.

How'd you get the table? Did your pal Frank Vincent give you his table?

I dont know about this.I mean,if you're going to shoot somebody, do it when there's no witnesses. He needs to watch the Sollozzo scene again. :p
Anyway, speaking of "mob" owned restarants, have any of you heard of the Blue Parrot in Louisville Colorado. I've never been there (I'm going in January or Febuary)but according to my parents (who were both raised there) it was owned by a wise guy. The town of Louisville denys the existance of any "mafia" in thier town but in the 70s there was one, not a big one, but one none the less. I talked to my grandfather, who's an ex-cop and he says that there was a mob.

Rao's is a good place, food is good also. But what a stupid thing to shoot somebody in there.

Following this story up, the NY papers have been reporting that the victim was a member of the Genovese family, and the shooter has been vehemently denying any connections to organized crime.

What a damn shit ! Bad place to plan the shooting !

This week's issue of NEW YORK MAGAZINE has a good article on the shooting.

http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/features/n_9750/

It seems that many of the celebrity diners there are invited to sing. The article mentions that Alex (Moe Greene) Rocco sang there once, and "sucked".

NYTimes today reports that the shooter explained that he was carrying a gun because the government upgraded the terrorist warning system to orange. :rolleyes:
Last week they sent a reporter to the Pleasant Avenue neighborhood where Rao's is located (it's where the Sonny/Carlo fight scene was filmed in GF). The locals wouldn't talk. Reporter noted that no one had a last name--it was like the beginning of "Goodfellas," with Jimmy TwoTimes, Freddy No-Nose, etc. He wrote that one old timer suffered a heart attack and was taken to a local hospital, but none of his pals could find his room because they didn't know his real last name.

Amazing, the mob are air tight.

The NY Post reported a couple of days ago that the shooter, Louis Barone, copped a plea to manslaughter in exchange for a 15 year sentence.

He faced 25 years to life if he went to trial.

Cheers for the update Plawrence.

What's the point of dropping the gun after the shooting unless it has some special tape on it to avoid fingerprints?