The Albanians transition wasnt pretty, a guy named Alex Rudaj started a crew of what the FBI called "The Corporation," the group was primarily Albanian, but had Italians, and Italian leaders under Rudaj. They muscled in on Lucchese and Gambino operartions in the Bronx and Westchester County's, the group even knifed and beat up some made guys. But a truce was called in a meeting between Rudaj and Gambino Boss Arnold "Zeke" Squitieri, both sides almost fought and killed one another at the meeting, but a truce was made. "The Corporation" would share some of it's profits with the Gambinos and be recognized as somewhat of a 6th Family. But the Feds rolled in and took down Rudaj and the whole crew, even the Italian members. The Albanians today in New York are not organized together, but operate as different crews, and for the most part get fairly along with the 5 Families, better than Rudaj and his crew.
The definitive dead horse. The whole Rudaj story in a nutshell....
Nardino “Lenny” Colotti had been a Gambino associate for years, working under soldier Phil “Skinny Phil” Loscalzo in the Morris Park area of the Bronx. When Skinny Phil died, Lenny was put under Joseph Gambino, who was active on Arthur Avenue. Lenny was unhappy because he was never made. Lenny was close with a number of Albanians, including Alex Rudaj, Nikola Dedaj, and others. He and the Albanians got into a confrontation where he “raised hands” to some made Gambino guys. Anyone who knows mob protocol knows this is a big no no. Lenny was called on the carpet by Joe Gambino and basically told that he was cut off and on his own. This is where they decided they were going to try and take things over for themselves. Some gambling spots and outlets for video poker machines in the Bronx, Westchester, and Queens. Some of these places were connected to Joe and Sal Gambino, the Mascias, and others who were all relatives of Carlo Gambino and Paul Castellano. These guys were old time “zips” and multi-millionaires. They also weren’t very well liked by the Gotti faction of the family, who was currently in power. Lenny and Rudaj knew this, as well as the fact that old Gambino guys who were multi-millionaires with legit property would not think it was worth it to go to war with a bunch of crazy Albanians who had nothing to lose over some coffee shops and a few joker poker machines. This emboldened them to start making moves.
When the Rudaj guys pistol-whipped some Greek guys that ran the gambling club in Astoria, Queens for the Lucchese family, the Luccheses didn’t react because the whole scene was already too hot. The FBI had already begun investigating the Rudaj gang. Even though it is one of the smaller families, the Luccheses have a lot of “shooters,” i.e. members capable of murder. In fact, the Luccheses have more killers than the entire Rudaj gang had members. But because of the law enforcement heat, the Luccheses decided to just wait it out. Not too long afterwards, the Rudaj gang assaulted a guy who was running another gambling club in Queens that had been recently opened by the Gambinos. This is what led to the meeting at the gas station in New Jersey. Led by Gambino member Arnold “Zeke” Squitieri, the Gambinos had about 30 guys there, all armed to the teeth with guns, bats, and other weapons. The Rudaj guys were greatly outnumbered but stood their ground. When the two groups couldn’t come to an agreement, things got heated, and Squitieri pointed a gun at Rudaj. In response, one of Rudaj’s men pointed his shotgun at a gas pump and threatened to blow everyone up. Squitieri thought the Rudaj guys just might be crazy enough to do it and told his guys to back off, ending the meeting.
Even though the Rudaj guys were acting like cowboys, they knew their limits. As said, they went after places belonging to some old Gambino zips that weren’t very well liked in the family and were basically near retirement. The guys they went after in Queens were Greeks, not Italians. This was during the time when the Gambino family was fractured and not operating as a single unit, but more as a group of scattered crews. However, there were clubs in the Bronx run by other Gambino captains, like Vinny Artuso and Sal Locascio, that the Rudaj gang didn’t touch. And they didn’t dare go near the Genovese and Bonanno clubs in the area. The whole incident at Rao’s was seen as a total joke. Nobody took it seriously. In any event, it wasn’t long before the Rudaj crew got indicted. Lenny, Rudaj, and the other top leaders of the gang got prison sentences ranging from 22 to 27 years each. As usually happens, all the property the Rudaj guys had amassed on Arthur Avenue, Crescent Avenue, Morris Park, and City Island got taken by the government and sold at auction. Their families weren’t left with anything. There are still Albanians around but they are a lot more low key and in the shadows than when the Rudaj guys were running wild. They’re into things like burglaries, video poker machines, narcotics, etc. A lot of them still work for the Italian crime families. Many Albanians spend a few years in Italy before immigrating to the United States. That’s where they have developed connections with the Italians.
