The Lucchese had a prescence in Astoria. In fact they had some issues with Alex Rudaj and the Albanians trying to take over some of the action there.
It was the Gambinos, Beanshooter. Zeke and his crew. It made the news when that gas station thing got blown out of proportion.
Joe N. Gallo had a little coffee/candy store but it was mostly just a place he used to get away from the life... not a mob social club, per se.
So it wasn't a social club. So what?
It wasn't a "place to get away from mob life." It was his headquarters. It's where his guys reported to him. He was there at six in the morning every day of his life for something like thirty years.
He loaned money out of that place. Neighborhood people would come ask for favors at that place. And there were a slew of bookmakers operating within blocks of that place that all belonged to Joe and the Gambinos. His routine was so well known that the Feds had that place staked out for years (and they never really got anything because Joe was a popular neighborhood figure and the residents looked out for him).
As far as Astoria having a mob "feel" to it. You're right, it didn't. Because it was never an Italian neighborhood. Back then it was mostly Greek with pockets of Italians. So there weren't pork stores and social clubs and goombahs on every corner. But it DEFINITELY had a mob "presence." Looks can be deceiving. "Presence" and "feel" are two entirely different things.
Oh yes the Rudaj "corporation." I hear the Albanians gave them a lot of trouble. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't they even get away with hitting heavyweights once?
They were definitely nuts. But like I said, that altercation with Zeke and the Gambinos was blown way out of proportion. And it's very telling that the entire Rudaj crew was decimated by a single indictment. That their leftover crew members got folded into the Bronx Gambino and Lucchese crews speaks volumes.
And welcome to the board, Malandrino
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