Posted By: Louiebynochi
Gene Borello Book Excerpt - 10/09/21 11:37 PM
Gene Borellos book is out on Amazon, by far the best Cosa Nostra book since Leonetti and D’Arco
“There was no shortage of bad guys in Queens. One after another, new names and faces poped up while Borrello, with perfect recall, named the people that he spent his time with on a daily basis. The stories never ceased to amaze the listener. “Nick ‘Pudgie’ Festa was an associate with Ronnie G at that time. Before he became an associate, he was a drug dealer. When he got around Ronnie G, by La Cosa Nostra rule, his drug dealing had to stop. Pudgie would take a step or two back, put in a front man or two to be the face of the business. “The money would keep rolling in, and his cash hoard would continue to grow. With the excessive cash flow, Pudgie would reinvest in the shylock business, putting his cash on the street. Pudgie was Ronnie G’s biggest earner at that time, bringing Ronnie eight to ten grand a week. Pudgie was known amongst Ronnie’s crew as the Golden Goose. Everything the guy touched turned to gold. “But Pudgie had one fault, and it was simple and evident: he was weak. The guy was not prone to violence, it simply wasn’t his way. In the life, when you are making big money, you need to be feared or you become prey for the hungry. After seven home invasions, Pudgie realized he had two choices: retire or gravitate towards the mob. Ronnie G took him in with open arms. Gene Borrello had box seats to witness the Pudgie-Ronnie G relationship. “Now with Ronnie G, anyone taking Pudgie’s money was guilty of taking Ronnie G’s money. They’d take on the full weight of Ronnie and his crew, who were willing to do whatever Ronnie G ordered, including murder, for there would have to be consequences. But there is always that one guy that does not care. This time, it was Chris Cognata. . “During the winter of 2005 or 2006, Pudgie would be robbed again. When he exited his car, two armed guys wearing ski masks converged on him. Sticking a gun in his ribs, they escorted Pudgie into his house, where his wife and child were also. “The armed robbers put the son in the bathroom and secured Pudgie and his wife using zipties. Pudgie gave up the valuables he had in the house. They made off with approximately one hundred and fifty thousand in cash and sixty thousand in jewelry. “This shed some light on the home invaders. Pudgie would tell Ronnie that one of the guys patted his wife on the ass. Ronnie G was a devout family man. “The fact that Pudgie’s wife and kid were home was bad enough, but hearing that one of the guys patted Pudgie’s wife on her ass put him over the edge. “Ronnie G and I, guys involved in crime, know what other criminals are doing, that’s our business. We know who’s dealing drugs, running a book, who are bank robbers, armored car guys, burglars, boosters, car thieves, and so on, and naturally, home invaders, too. Remember, Pudgie’s home invasion was not random, it was someone who knew he was making big money, had the balls to do it, and had no fear of the mob. Me, Ronnie, Padavona, and the rest of the crew were throwing out names, possible candidates to be investigated. Sooner or later, we would get to the bottom of it. The criminal circle is small, and it would be just a matter of time before we would have some concrete evidence. “By sheer luck, someone would be pulled over, a gun found in the car, along with a cache of jewelry. The guy was arrested and the evidence impounded by the cops. Word in the neighborhood had spread; the following day, we found out that Chris Cognata and Mike Izzo were the guys that got arrested the previous night. A few days later, Ronnie G would confirm that Chris did the piece of work. Some of Cognata’s guys were even bragging about the job in the neighborhood. “Pudgie was an associate of Ronnie G’s. He was robbed. He was making Ronnie money. One of the robbers smacked Pudgie’s wife on the ass, and lastly, bragged about the home invasion in the neighborhood, rubbing Ronnie’s face in it. They went too far. There would have to be retribution.”
— Born in the Life; Gene Borrello by Louis Romano
“There was no shortage of bad guys in Queens. One after another, new names and faces poped up while Borrello, with perfect recall, named the people that he spent his time with on a daily basis. The stories never ceased to amaze the listener. “Nick ‘Pudgie’ Festa was an associate with Ronnie G at that time. Before he became an associate, he was a drug dealer. When he got around Ronnie G, by La Cosa Nostra rule, his drug dealing had to stop. Pudgie would take a step or two back, put in a front man or two to be the face of the business. “The money would keep rolling in, and his cash hoard would continue to grow. With the excessive cash flow, Pudgie would reinvest in the shylock business, putting his cash on the street. Pudgie was Ronnie G’s biggest earner at that time, bringing Ronnie eight to ten grand a week. Pudgie was known amongst Ronnie’s crew as the Golden Goose. Everything the guy touched turned to gold. “But Pudgie had one fault, and it was simple and evident: he was weak. The guy was not prone to violence, it simply wasn’t his way. In the life, when you are making big money, you need to be feared or you become prey for the hungry. After seven home invasions, Pudgie realized he had two choices: retire or gravitate towards the mob. Ronnie G took him in with open arms. Gene Borrello had box seats to witness the Pudgie-Ronnie G relationship. “Now with Ronnie G, anyone taking Pudgie’s money was guilty of taking Ronnie G’s money. They’d take on the full weight of Ronnie and his crew, who were willing to do whatever Ronnie G ordered, including murder, for there would have to be consequences. But there is always that one guy that does not care. This time, it was Chris Cognata. . “During the winter of 2005 or 2006, Pudgie would be robbed again. When he exited his car, two armed guys wearing ski masks converged on him. Sticking a gun in his ribs, they escorted Pudgie into his house, where his wife and child were also. “The armed robbers put the son in the bathroom and secured Pudgie and his wife using zipties. Pudgie gave up the valuables he had in the house. They made off with approximately one hundred and fifty thousand in cash and sixty thousand in jewelry. “This shed some light on the home invaders. Pudgie would tell Ronnie that one of the guys patted his wife on the ass. Ronnie G was a devout family man. “The fact that Pudgie’s wife and kid were home was bad enough, but hearing that one of the guys patted Pudgie’s wife on her ass put him over the edge. “Ronnie G and I, guys involved in crime, know what other criminals are doing, that’s our business. We know who’s dealing drugs, running a book, who are bank robbers, armored car guys, burglars, boosters, car thieves, and so on, and naturally, home invaders, too. Remember, Pudgie’s home invasion was not random, it was someone who knew he was making big money, had the balls to do it, and had no fear of the mob. Me, Ronnie, Padavona, and the rest of the crew were throwing out names, possible candidates to be investigated. Sooner or later, we would get to the bottom of it. The criminal circle is small, and it would be just a matter of time before we would have some concrete evidence. “By sheer luck, someone would be pulled over, a gun found in the car, along with a cache of jewelry. The guy was arrested and the evidence impounded by the cops. Word in the neighborhood had spread; the following day, we found out that Chris Cognata and Mike Izzo were the guys that got arrested the previous night. A few days later, Ronnie G would confirm that Chris did the piece of work. Some of Cognata’s guys were even bragging about the job in the neighborhood. “Pudgie was an associate of Ronnie G’s. He was robbed. He was making Ronnie money. One of the robbers smacked Pudgie’s wife on the ass, and lastly, bragged about the home invasion in the neighborhood, rubbing Ronnie’s face in it. They went too far. There would have to be retribution.”
— Born in the Life; Gene Borrello by Louis Romano
