Thomas Agro
Encyclopedia
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
.
. Additionally, he took medications for heart problems that stemmed from high blood pressure and for a lung ailment.
Standing 5'5, Agro was a classic bully who enjoyed beating up people. Since he was sickly as well as small, Agro always needed several henchmen to hold down his victims so he could safely torture them. Agro was known to carry a pair of sharpened scissors on him at all times. Agro would approach his victims quite slowly, carrying a knife. This gave his pinioned victims ample time to urinate in their pants, and on more than one occasion the victim would deficate. Agro's attacks were more spontaneous than planned though.
, or full member, of the Gambino family. Agro was sponsored for membership by Joe N. Gallo, the family consigliere. He worked under Joseph Armone
, one of Castellano's most trusted associates. While Agro was never promoted above street-level soldier, he enjoyed a privileged relationship with family boss Paul Castellano
. During this period, Agro was sent to prison for bookmaking. By 1976 Agro was dividing his time between New York and Palm Beach County, Florida
.
to act as his representative. Iannuzzi enjoyed the attention and respect he received when Agro was in Florida. The two mobsters frequented all the top nightspots and track betting. It was while at the greyhound racing
tracks that Agro coined Iannuzzi's nickname "Joe Dogs". Iannuzzi was given free rein to operate on behalf of Agro and the Gambino crime family. Iannuzzi operated bookmaking and loansharking while engaging in the occasional robbery and burglary. When Agro's sponsor, Joe N. Gallo, visited Florida, Iannuzzi would look after him.
In 1980, the Agro/Iannuzzi relationship began to fizzle. Agro had previously lent Ianuzzi a sizeable amount of money to be used to facilitate a loanshark book. Ianuzzi was supposed to pay Agro several percentage basis points (commonly referred to as points) a week. Ianuzzi would then lend offer loans to fellow criminals and gamblers at several additional points. The difference, called the 'spread', would be Iannuzzi's profit. Ianuzzi would hold several weeks or months worth of interest (or vig, in Mafia vernacular), delivering it to Agro whenever he visited New York. At other times, Agro would visit Iannuzzi in Florida to collect the interest. Agro had plans to invest the illegal interest into legitimate businesses. However, Ianuzzi soon fell several months behind in delivering the money of Agro. Later in 1980, while visiting New York, Ianuzzi deliberately snubbed Agro.
On January 19, 1981, the enraged Agro found Ianuzzi at the Don Ritz Pizzeria on Singer Island, Florida
and severely beat him with a baseball bat
. After surviving this attack, Ianuzzi decided to start working as an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI). Since Ianuzzi had been assaulted with a bat, the FBI agents appropriately dubbed the case Operation Home Run
. Ianuzzi now paid Agro the delinquent money (with funds supplied by the FBI) and Agro welcomed him back to the family. Ianuzzi now wore a hidden listening device whenever he met with Agro and other Florida mobsters operating. In one tape, Agro told Iannuzzi that he had survived the January attack only because the pizzeria owner's wife entered the room. On one occasion, Agro confessed to the murders of Lucchese associates Anthony DeSimone and Thomas DeSimone
. However, Ianuzzi was not recording at that moment, so Agro was never convicted of these murders.
, Agro fled to Quebec
, where he was joined by LuAnn. The couple later moved to the Nuns' Island
section of Montreal
, where he deserted LuAnn for another woman, Ann Okcha. Later in 1984, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) arrested Agro. He was soon repatriated to the United States and sent to prison. In 1986, Agro was released from prison due to an inoperable brain tumor
.
On February 11, 1987, Agro pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges in a court session held in his hospital room at Mount Sinai Hospital
in New York. Agro died later in 1987.
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...
who ran lucrative bookmaking and gambling operations in 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...
.
Background
Agro was a smiling pudgy little man always immaculately dressed and manicured. He wore a jet black toupee that was supposedly so sleek that it reflected flashing disco lights. According to the FBI, Agro had a prescription for lithiumLithium pharmacology
Lithium pharmacology refers to use of the lithium ion, Li+, as a drug. A number of chemical salts of lithium are used medically as a mood stabilizing drug, primarily in the treatment of bipolar disorder, where they have a role in the treatment of depression and particularly of mania, both acutely...
. Additionally, he took medications for heart problems that stemmed from high blood pressure and for a lung ailment.
Standing 5'5, Agro was a classic bully who enjoyed beating up people. Since he was sickly as well as small, Agro always needed several henchmen to hold down his victims so he could safely torture them. Agro was known to carry a pair of sharpened scissors on him at all times. Agro would approach his victims quite slowly, carrying a knife. This gave his pinioned victims ample time to urinate in their pants, and on more than one occasion the victim would deficate. Agro's attacks were more spontaneous than planned though.
Mobster
In 1975 or 1976, Agro became a made manMade man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
, or full member, of the Gambino family. Agro was sponsored for membership by Joe N. Gallo, the family consigliere. He worked under Joseph 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...
, one of Castellano's most trusted associates. While Agro was never promoted above street-level soldier, he enjoyed a privileged relationship with family 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...
. During this period, Agro was sent to prison for bookmaking. By 1976 Agro was dividing his time between New York and Palm Beach County, Florida
Palm Beach County, Florida
Palm Beach County is the largest county in the state of Florida in total area, and third in population. As of 2010, the county's estimated population was 1,320,134, making it the twenty-eighth most populous in the United States...
.
Relations with Joseph Ianuzzi
It was in Florida that Agro selected mobster Joseph IannuzziJoseph Iannuzzi
Joseph Iannuzzi, also known as "Joe Dogs" and "Joe Diner" , 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...
to act as his representative. Iannuzzi enjoyed the attention and respect he received when Agro was in Florida. The two mobsters frequented all the top nightspots and track betting. It was while at the greyhound racing
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
tracks that Agro coined Iannuzzi's nickname "Joe Dogs". Iannuzzi was given free rein to operate on behalf of Agro and the Gambino crime family. Iannuzzi operated bookmaking and loansharking while engaging in the occasional robbery and burglary. When Agro's sponsor, Joe N. Gallo, visited Florida, Iannuzzi would look after him.
In 1980, the Agro/Iannuzzi relationship began to fizzle. Agro had previously lent Ianuzzi a sizeable amount of money to be used to facilitate a loanshark book. Ianuzzi was supposed to pay Agro several percentage basis points (commonly referred to as points) a week. Ianuzzi would then lend offer loans to fellow criminals and gamblers at several additional points. The difference, called the 'spread', would be Iannuzzi's profit. Ianuzzi would hold several weeks or months worth of interest (or vig, in Mafia vernacular), delivering it to Agro whenever he visited New York. At other times, Agro would visit Iannuzzi in Florida to collect the interest. Agro had plans to invest the illegal interest into legitimate businesses. However, Ianuzzi soon fell several months behind in delivering the money of Agro. Later in 1980, while visiting New York, Ianuzzi deliberately snubbed Agro.
On January 19, 1981, the enraged Agro found Ianuzzi at the Don Ritz Pizzeria on Singer Island, Florida
Singer Island, Florida
Singer Island is located on the Atlantic coast of Palm Beach County, Florida in the South Florida metropolitan area. Most of it is in the city of Riviera Beach, but the town of Palm Beach Shores occupies its southern tip. Its latitude of is 26.784N and its longitude is -80.037W. The easternmost...
and severely beat him with a baseball bat
Baseball bat
A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the game of baseball to hit the ball after the ball is thrown by the pitcher. It is no more than 2.75 inches in diameter at the thickest part and no more than 42 inches in length. It typically weighs no more than 33 ounces , but it...
. After surviving this attack, Ianuzzi decided to start working as an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI). Since Ianuzzi had been assaulted with a bat, the FBI agents appropriately dubbed the case Operation Home Run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
. Ianuzzi now paid Agro the delinquent money (with funds supplied by the FBI) and Agro welcomed him back to the family. Ianuzzi now wore a hidden listening device whenever he met with Agro and other Florida mobsters operating. In one tape, Agro told Iannuzzi that he had survived the January attack only because the pizzeria owner's wife entered the room. On one occasion, Agro confessed to the murders of Lucchese associates Anthony DeSimone and Thomas DeSimone
Thomas DeSimone
Thomas "Two-Gun Tommy" Anthony DeSimone was an Italian-American gangster and associate of the Lucchese crime family in New York. Also known as "Tommy D" or "Tommy Two-Guns", he was a grandson and nephew of Los Angeles mob bosses Rosario DeSimone and Frank DeSimone...
. However, Ianuzzi was not recording at that moment, so Agro was never convicted of these murders.
Later years
In 1984, Agro was prosecuted at the Home Run trials in Florida for loan sharking, extortion, and attempted murder. After being sentenced to fifteen years in a federal penitentiaryPenitentiary
Penitentiary may refer to:* Prison or penitentiary, a correctional facility* Apostolic Penitentiary, a tribunal of mercy, responsible for issues relating to the forgiveness of sins in the Roman Catholic Church* Penitentiary...
, Agro fled to Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, where he was joined by LuAnn. The couple later moved to the Nuns' Island
Nuns' Island
Nuns' Island is an island that forms a part of the city of Montreal, Quebec. It is part of the borough of Verdun.-Geography:The 3.74 km² island is part of the Hochelaga Archipelago in the St. Lawrence River...
section of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, where he deserted LuAnn for another woman, Ann Okcha. Later in 1984, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) arrested Agro. He was soon repatriated to the United States and sent to prison. In 1986, Agro was released from prison due to an inoperable brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
.
On February 11, 1987, Agro pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges in a court session held in his hospital room at Mount Sinai Hospital
Mount Sinai Hospital
Mount Sinai Hospital may refer to:*Mount Sinai Hospital, New York*Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto*Mount Sinai Medical Center & Miami Heart Institute, Miami, Florida*Mount Sinai Hospital, Cleveland*Mount Sinai Hospital, Milwaukee...
in New York. Agro died later in 1987.
In popular culture
- In the 1990 film GoodfellasGoodfellasGoodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
, the character "Vinnie", played by Charles ScorseseCharles ScorseseLuciano Charles Scorsese was an American film actor.Scorsese was born in New York City, the son of Teresa and Francesco Scorsese, Italian/Sicilian immigrants from Polizzi Generosa, a small town near Palermo. He married film actress Catherine Scorsese in 1933. He was the father of Academy Award...
, the father of director Martin ScorseseMartin ScorseseMartin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
, is based on Agro. Agro's character, Vinnie is seen cooking sauce while in prison, and when the character Tommy Devito (based on Thomas DeSimoneThomas DeSimoneThomas "Two-Gun Tommy" Anthony DeSimone was an Italian-American gangster and associate of the Lucchese crime family in New York. Also known as "Tommy D" or "Tommy Two-Guns", he was a grandson and nephew of Los Angeles mob bosses Rosario DeSimone and Frank DeSimone...
) is murdered.
Further reading
- O'Brien, Joseph F. and Kurins, Andris, Boss of Bosses: The Fall of The Godfather: The FBI and Paul Castellano, Pocket Books (1993)ISBN 0671715410
- Ianuzzi, Joseph, Joe Dogs: The Life and Crimes of a Mobster Simon & Schuster (June 1993) ISBN 0671797522