Joseph Iannuzzi
Encyclopedia
Joseph Iannuzzi, also known as "Joe Dogs" and "Joe Diner" (born 1931 Port Chester, New York
), was a Gambino crime family
associate and turncoat whose co-operation influenced events surrounding the late 1985 assassination of Gambino boss Paul Castellano
and played an indirect, but valuable role in the 1985 Mafia Commission Trial
. He is the author of The Mafia Cookbook, Cooking on the Lam, and other books.
and "policy game" runner Joseph Iannuzzi III from Laviano
, Italy
. He is the first cousin of restaurateur Oswaldo (Ozzie) Iannuzzi who owned a fine Italian restaurant called "Alfredo's" located in Boynton Beach. Every Saturday his father would take Joseph along with him to make his weekly collections. He had several brothers and sisters. His father had several prominent clients including the actor Eddie Anderson, who was a co-star of Jack Benny
on The Jack Benny Show and western cowboy star Tom Mix
who would give Joseph a silver dollar on every visit. He was first arrested in 1945 at the age of fourteen years old as a member of a crew of burglars called "Night Raiders." His mother divorced his father by 1945 and married an Irishman named Edward. He joined the U.S. Army and became a U.S. Marine champion boxer. He became a decorated soldier from fighting in Korea and received an honorable discharge after he was stabbed in the thigh by a bayonet. He had a troubled marital life going through two failed marriages and fathering two daughters from his first wife. He then married a woman named Bunny and had another daughter before settling down and fathering Sheryl, Debra and Stephanie with her and later a son Joseph Iannuzzi III who was born on November 26, 1967. He moved to Yonkers, New York but was run out by rival bookmakers and loan sharks before settling in Glen Cove, Long Island where he worked as a bookmaker.
. While enlisted, his interest in boxing grew and he became involved with the regiment's boxing team. During the war he commended for his various acts bravery and later received two Purple Hearts. he received an honorable discharge and upon his release he became involved in criminal activity once again.
associate and bookmaker from West Babylon, New York
and his wife named Anne. He moved from New York City
to Florida
in 1968 and found work as a dry wall installer and was eventually given a no-show position as a shop steward. He was later married to a woman named "Bunny." He became a close friend of Colombo crime family capo Nicholas "Jiggs" Forlano and Gambino crime family
soldier Thomas Agro
. In the early 1970s Iannuzzi became a member of Tommy Agro's South Florida crew and along with Gambino crime family associate Robert DeSimone
. His charm, ability with his fists and wit allowed him to quickly pass over DeSimone and become the top enforcer for Agro and his superior, Gambino consigliere Joseph N. Gallo
in West Palm Beach, Florida
. By the mid 70’s he was running South Florida for the Gambino Family. He was involved in loansharking, rigging horse races, labor racketeering, drug trafficking, extortion and robbery. He earned deep into the eight figures for his mentor Tommy Agro who went by T.A. After years of dedication and ruining his marriage following Agro he had a terrible patch of bad luck. He had a heart attack and the attention of the FBI. He hid out from the FBI in Chicago with a girl friend. When he returned to Florida the erratic Agro was furious that he had been out of touch and owed him eight thousand dollars.
Operation Home Run lasted 18 months until information surfaced that Joe Iannuzzi was co-operating with the government and his partner Joe Marino was actually an undercover FBI agent. Agent John Bonino, who used the alias Joe Marino was now suspected by Gambino members Tommy Agro and Andy Ruggiano of being an undercover agent sent to infiltrate the crime family. With Iannuzzi and Bonino in obvious danger the undercover operation was immediately closed, but the Feds managed to snare more than a dozen mobsters, mostly from the Gambino crime family, including made members Tommy Agro, Andy Ruggiano, Joseph "Joe Piney" Armone
and Joe Gallo, along with associates Robert DeSimone and Frank Abbandando Jr. It was information provided by Joe Dogs that gave the New York FBI probable cause to go after New York Mafia boss Paul Castellano
.
Port Chester, New York
Port Chester is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The village is part of the town of Rye. As of the 2010 census, Port Chester had a population of 28,967...
), was a Gambino crime family
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
associate and turncoat whose co-operation influenced events surrounding the late 1985 assassination of Gambino boss Paul Castellano
Paul Castellano
Constantino Paul "Big Paul" Castellano , also known as "The Howard Hughes of the Mob" and "Big Paulie" , was an American Mafia boss in New York City. He succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family, at the time, the nation's largest Mafia family...
and played an indirect, but valuable role in the 1985 Mafia Commission Trial
Mafia Commission Trial
The Mafia Commission Trial was a criminal trial in New York City, USA. Using evidence obtained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, eleven organized crime figures, including the heads of New York's so-called "Five Families," were indicted by United States Attorney Rudolph Giuliani under the...
. He is the author of The Mafia Cookbook, Cooking on the Lam, and other books.
Early years
Joseph Iannuzzi II is the son of a prominent New York bookmakerBookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
and "policy game" runner Joseph Iannuzzi III from Laviano
Laviano
Laviano is a town and comune in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He is the first cousin of restaurateur Oswaldo (Ozzie) Iannuzzi who owned a fine Italian restaurant called "Alfredo's" located in Boynton Beach. Every Saturday his father would take Joseph along with him to make his weekly collections. He had several brothers and sisters. His father had several prominent clients including the actor Eddie Anderson, who was a co-star of Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
on The Jack Benny Show and western cowboy star Tom Mix
Tom Mix
Thomas Edwin "Tom" Mix was an American film actor and the star of many early Western movies. He made a reported 336 films between 1910 and 1935, all but nine of which were silent features...
who would give Joseph a silver dollar on every visit. He was first arrested in 1945 at the age of fourteen years old as a member of a crew of burglars called "Night Raiders." His mother divorced his father by 1945 and married an Irishman named Edward. He joined the U.S. Army and became a U.S. Marine champion boxer. He became a decorated soldier from fighting in Korea and received an honorable discharge after he was stabbed in the thigh by a bayonet. He had a troubled marital life going through two failed marriages and fathering two daughters from his first wife. He then married a woman named Bunny and had another daughter before settling down and fathering Sheryl, Debra and Stephanie with her and later a son Joseph Iannuzzi III who was born on November 26, 1967. He moved to Yonkers, New York but was run out by rival bookmakers and loan sharks before settling in Glen Cove, Long Island where he worked as a bookmaker.
Military career
Joseph enlisted in the U.S. Marines and served in the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. While enlisted, his interest in boxing grew and he became involved with the regiment's boxing team. During the war he commended for his various acts bravery and later received two Purple Hearts. he received an honorable discharge and upon his release he became involved in criminal activity once again.
Back on the Streets
Iannuzzi is the godson of Michael "Midge" Belvedere, a former Colombo crime familyColombo crime family
The Colombo crime family is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
associate and bookmaker from West Babylon, New York
West Babylon, New York
West Babylon is a census-designated place in the town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 43,452 at the 2000 census.-Geography:West Babylon is located at ....
and his wife named Anne. He moved from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in 1968 and found work as a dry wall installer and was eventually given a no-show position as a shop steward. He was later married to a woman named "Bunny." He became a close friend of Colombo crime family capo Nicholas "Jiggs" Forlano and Gambino crime family
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
soldier Thomas Agro
Thomas Agro
Thomas Agro , also known as "Tommy A", "T.A.", "Tipp", and "Thomas Ambrosiano", was a New York gangster with the Gambino crime family who ran lucrative bookmaking and gambling operations in Florida.-Background:...
. In the early 1970s Iannuzzi became a member of Tommy Agro's South Florida crew and along with Gambino crime family associate Robert DeSimone
Robert Desimone
Robert Desimone is the director of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT. Prior to joining the McGovern Institute in 2004, he was the director of intramural research at the National Institute of Mental Health...
. His charm, ability with his fists and wit allowed him to quickly pass over DeSimone and become the top enforcer for Agro and his superior, Gambino consigliere Joseph N. Gallo
Joseph N. Gallo
Giuseppe “Uno-Punzone” Nicholas Gallo, Jr. also known as Joseph Nicholas Gallo was a New York mobster, who allegedly became consigliere of the Gambino crime family.-Biography:He was born on January 8, 1912...
in West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
. By the mid 70’s he was running South Florida for the Gambino Family. He was involved in loansharking, rigging horse races, labor racketeering, drug trafficking, extortion and robbery. He earned deep into the eight figures for his mentor Tommy Agro who went by T.A. After years of dedication and ruining his marriage following Agro he had a terrible patch of bad luck. He had a heart attack and the attention of the FBI. He hid out from the FBI in Chicago with a girl friend. When he returned to Florida the erratic Agro was furious that he had been out of touch and owed him eight thousand dollars.
Operation Home Run
After nearly being beaten to death with a baseball bat by Thomas Agro over outstanding debts, Ianuzzi became an informant for the FBI. The agency put into play Operation Home Run by starting a Beach Side Nightclub in Singer Island, Florida. Using FBI funds to repay his debts, Joe Dogs was welcomed back into his former Mafia circles. Ianuzzi was soon being persuaded by Gambino capo Anthony "Fat Andy" Ruggiano and soldier Tommy Agro to open a gambling business using Mafia funds, which would serve as a front for money laundering. Ianuzzi consulted the FBI, which agreed he could participate in this criminal enterprise, provided that he accepted an undercover FBI agent named John Bonino as his business partner. Bonino passed himself off as a drug dealer named Joe Marino. Mobsters were photographed, videotaped and recorded in the club.Operation Home Run lasted 18 months until information surfaced that Joe Iannuzzi was co-operating with the government and his partner Joe Marino was actually an undercover FBI agent. Agent John Bonino, who used the alias Joe Marino was now suspected by Gambino members Tommy Agro and Andy Ruggiano of being an undercover agent sent to infiltrate the crime family. With Iannuzzi and Bonino in obvious danger the undercover operation was immediately closed, but the Feds managed to snare more than a dozen mobsters, mostly from the Gambino crime family, including made members Tommy Agro, Andy Ruggiano, Joseph "Joe Piney" Armone
Joseph Armone
Joseph "Piney" Armone was a gangster in the Gambino crime family from 1986 to 1990.-Biography:Born on the Upper East Side, Manhattan, Armone earned his nickname "Piney" in the 1930s by extorting money from Christmas tree vendors. He was the younger brother of mobster Stephen Armone, a Gambino...
and Joe Gallo, along with associates Robert DeSimone and Frank Abbandando Jr. It was information provided by Joe Dogs that gave the New York FBI probable cause to go after New York Mafia boss Paul Castellano
Paul Castellano
Constantino Paul "Big Paul" Castellano , also known as "The Howard Hughes of the Mob" and "Big Paulie" , was an American Mafia boss in New York City. He succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family, at the time, the nation's largest Mafia family...
.