This story has been shared 121,048 times. During a visit last month, a New Times reporter witnessed one police official receive a $20 bill in a barely disguised handshake. In this real life Goodfellas tale, New York teen John Alite gets a job at his local Deli, a hangout for 'wise guys'. They put a hit out on him when he disappeared with the money, while Juan and Tarzan took the legal fall in Miami. Log In or Sign Up Tony Galeota See Photos Anthony Galeota See Photos Tony Kalata See Photos Tony Galeote See Photos Tony Galea See Photos Tony Galeto See Photos Tony Gullette See Photos Tony Gulotta See Photos He answered only to property owner William Seidle, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court trustee who ran a chain of car dealerships. He was recently sentenced to serve around six years in federal prison. As chronicled in the new Showtime documentary Operation Odessa, the trio of cutthroat outlaws collaborated in 1996 to procure the ultimate weapon for Colombias money-minting Cali cocaine cartel: a military submarine. Sometimes we get a little excited when we find the amount of cocaine we found, said Castro. Tarzan and Tony went so far as to gain access to a Soviet naval base and be taken on a tour of a submarine potentially for sale, even cajoling Russian military officials to pose for photos - which they used to prove to the Colombians that a deal could be brokered (and which are shown in the film). The two were married in 1994 at a wedding full of mobsters. Upon seeing 10 thugs rush the vehicle and hijack it with the unsuspecting passenger in back, Yester realized that the remaining cash would not be forthcoming. Create a free family tree for yourself or for Tony Galeota and we'll search for valuable new information for you. Sign Up. He needed some help," he recalls. We have a lot of laughs about it now," he says. We have a lot of laughs about it now," he says. Inside La Joya, he had paid a guard to smuggle in a BlackBerry to talk to his wife, but strangers kept calling with threats to kill his kids unless he paid them. Locked up in one of the world's worst prisons, Tony has to prove his innocence and attempt an audacious escape. But the man's paws were soon on her crotch again. "But she's never going to forget. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. "It was home to a lot of shrewd and nefarious characters.". On a Sunday night in July of 1991, a 29-year-old electrician named Phillip John Shea came into Quarterbacks shortly after Tony and Kristy left. Prostitutes were everywhere at the weddings, and when Tony asked another employee where they came from, the older kid took him to Manhattan's infamous West End. "Now I'm living in hell.". When Galeota arrived, his mobster reputation preceded him. Next time, I will steal it back from him., Tarzan (left) at the site of the submarine. Over the years, Galeota saw nearly a dozen shootings at Porky's, some of them fatal. He bought seven properties pretty much sight unseen.". Anthony Galeota was born October 17, 1968, on Long Island. I know its gonna be a strange question. ", "You hear that?" "My family didn't care; they took it," Galeota says of the stolen goods. It was a weeknight, and Porky's was washed in pale-pink neon light. she scoffs. Instead of celebrating, he walked through the scuzzy neighbourhood until he found a shabby motel. If he didnt give them the information, he was afraid that he would have gotten killed, and he was probably right., In the meantime, Yester may have been too in love with his eight-figure haul to really care and there was ultimately no retribution against his family. "We were like: 'We want to get the fuck out of here. Back in the mid-1990s, if you were a Miami mobster seeking girls, guns, cocaine, the services of an arsonist, or muscle to beat down a deadbeat, Ludwig Tarzan Fainberg was your man. Sign Up. But in South Florida, he was once a strip club king. "When you're in La Joya for two years, you get used to that environment," Galeota says. The goods came from sources in the freshly fallen Soviet Union, a place where everything seemed to be up for grabs at ridiculously low prices. One can imagine they did plenty of drugs.. Update information for Tony Galeota . "This case has had a big impact here," says Jos Otero, a reporter for Panamanian newspaper La Prensa. Tony Galeota. "When you go to prison, it's like dying, but you get to see your own funeral," Galeota says. Through the air plane window, Tony Galeota could see the city's colonial churches glow like polished gold. "I couldn't take all the people who wanted to come.". Tony Galeota has a wife named Kristy Galeota, with whom he lives. Galeota's enemies say that a life of sin has finally caught up with the flesh-peddler. While Galeota avoided testifying, Fainberg faced 30 counts including racketeering and conspiracy to traffic cocaine and heroin. But Tarzan a seasoned wheeler-dealer, strip club owner and former mob enforcer took it in his stride and went back to his partners with the response. He also owned the Russian restaurant Babushka, which was a magnet for snowbirding criminals from his homeland. Galeota also found himself in the back of an unmarked FBI car. I was literally on a press tour for the last film, and I was in New York doing interviews and stuff I called the producers and said, Do you think we can get a million dollars in the next five days?. He broke it off with the woman, but his problems were only beginning. He turned himself in a few days later, but the lounge's owner decided to close the cursed club. His Doll House dream began at Porky's. A large Russian man called Tarzan sits in an armchair against the backdrop of a cracked and stained wall, a pack of cigarettes, lighter and an ash tray on a table to his left, and he shrugs as he talks about a deal he tried to broker more than 20 years ago. See Photos. By then, the club's criminal clientele and Fainberg's increasingly lavish lifestyle had raised eyebrows. Galeota was hit with felony drug and prostitution charges. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. "I was 16 years old and amazed," he says. And he hopes to open a place in Fort Lauderdale when he's back. "You see who wants to fuck your wife, who wants to rob you, and who your real friends are.". (A New York Police Department spokesman says records from that far back aren't available.) Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida Facilitating it. Police repeatedly raided the club, yet Galeota escaped unscathed every time. Panama's judicial system is outdated and overburdened, she says. This time, I'm innocent.". "A family type thing, like an ale house with wings and beer," he says. Somewhere between his native Ukraine, Israel, and Russia, he'd shed his trademark long hair and changed his name to Alon Bar. Police repeatedly raided the club, yet Galeota escaped unscathed every time. But it bored him. A sign on the latter reads, "District Attorney for Drugs: Do Not Enter." Miami's underworld may still be seedy, but it has outsourced much of its shadiness to nearby Third-World countries such as Panama. For two decades, Galeota managed Porky's, a Hialeah dive notorious for drugs, prostitution, and violence, where he was part pimp, part bouncer, and completely untouchable. Theres this crazy Russian gangster who sold a submarine to the Cali drug cartel; his name is Tarzan and hes locked in a Panamanian prison and he had a Blackberry And he said, Do you want his number?, And I said, Hell, yes! None of them ever appeared in the newspapers, but Hialeah police records confirm there were at least ten shootings at Porky's during Galeota's tenure. Juan, Tarzan and law enforcement insisted there was no way hed agree to participate in the documentary. See Photos. It was a caper, for sure., He says: Tarzan was the lynchpin to it, because it was his story. Inside, the bar is still littered with half-empty bottles of Chivas Regal. , updated The guards leave at 5pm, and they just lock the gates, and its inmate rule at night, he says, explaining that he bribed a guard to get him in and out of the jail. The American says he's giving up the strip club and brothel businesses. Instead, Galeota admits he's done bad things, such as. Explore More. Find your friends on Facebook. The Coast Guard said the eight-member crew cooperated and was taken into custody. Prostitution was so common at Porky's that the club had fixed places and prices, Galeota says. Galeota is one of several Americans locked up here. Research > Galeota > Tony Galeota. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. He was soon promoted from DJing weddings to robbing delivery trucks for the Paccione clan (which federal court records tie to the infamous Gambino crime family). Within weeks of its April 2011 opening, the club was raking in $6,000 on good nights. ), Right about the time my last film was coming out, he emailed me and said, I did a jailbreak from Panama, traveled to Costa Rica, on to Cuba and then got repatriated to Moscow Im ready to do the movie, Russell says. Although he admits that "running around whoring and casinoing wasn't worth it," he can't promise to be faithful to the woman who has stood beside him. Anthony Galeota was born October 17, 1968, on Long Island. But killings are common in Panama's worst prison, where the smell of raw sewage wafts over the yard, metal shackles hang from moldy staircases, and overcrowded cells house nearly 3,500 of the Western Hemisphere's vilest murderers, rapists, and drug traffickers. Anthony Galeota was born October 17, 1968, on Long Island. Miami's underworld may still be seedy, but it has outsourced much of its shadiness to nearby Third-World countries such as Panama. Galeota tried going straight, opening a coffee shop in downtown Panama City. We've received your submission. Panamanian newspapers put "Operation Fiesta" on the front page as prosecutors alleged Galeota was part of an international crime ring. He was 31. "They would describe what they looked like," Galeota says. Find your friends on Facebook. Now the locals want to get rid of guys like Galeota too, as his case has drawn national attention to corruption and human rights abuses. "My father wasn't in the mob, but his friends were," Tony says. We both understand that.". A friend suggested Panama. A narc I know called me with a tip and he said, This is the craziest true-crime caper Ive ever come across in my life. Rising swiftly through the ranks, John buries his conscience to become a notorious Mafia hitman. The value then triples to $100,000 per kilo at the street level when it's busted down for individual use. "They knew some Russian guy named Tarzan who had just opened up a club in Miami called Porky's. "This country is corrupt. Born on June 3, 1924 at Hartford. Bonnie also shoplifted booze to sustain her hard drinking habit. Galeota saw an opportunity. Can he prove his innocence and escape? People named Toni Galeota Find your friends on Facebook Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. That didnt stop Russell from trying to get them on board with doing a film about the submarine deal. Galeota is one of several Americans locked up here. And, above all, selling it. By the time he was 18, he had been arrested seven times for armed robbery and assault, he says. But when Galeota was arrested June 19, 2011, and charged with trafficking drugs and women, he was just as innocent as Stephen King's saintly inmate. "It is with tremendous heartfelt sadness to announce the passing of Michael James. Santiago de Cali shone in the syrupy South American sunlight filling Colombia's Cauca River Valley. "Last week we were supposed to have a hearing, but there was no running water in Panama City. On Friday, May 17, Galeota got word that the judge had also dismissed the drug charge because of lack of evidence. ", http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2012-10-04/news/tony-galeota-from-running-porky-s-miami-s-most-notorious-strip-joint-to-rotting-in-a-panamanian-jail/full/. People named Tony Galeota Find your friends on Facebook Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. But in South Florida, he was once a strip club king. We were approximately 24-hours on board before we got to a hidden compartment, said Castro.There was a hidden compartment and once we opened it we found all the contraband.. They finally fled the country this past July, leaving Tony alone. And, above all, selling it. "Whenever there is an American businessman involved in crime here in Panama, it becomes an important case. And then Russell got a text message out of the blue. Biography. He soon finds himself wanting to be a mobster, and starts running errands for them. The year before, his father helped him land a job as a wedding DJ. "I lived it up in Miami," he says. I got a piece of the action of every blowjob that my friends got," Galeota says. The smugglers boat was destroyed because it was a hazard to navigation. Bonnie also shoplifted booze to sustain her hard drinking habit. But he was too shell-shocked to take up his attorney's offer for a ride to a nice hotel. He met with mobsters in Cali mansions full of women, and he knocked on random doors in search of dancers. "My father wasn't in the mob, but his friends were," Tony says. The charismatic teenager sold the stolen suits or electronics at strip clubs or used-car lots. Instead, he's trapped in a labyrinthine legal system, alone and unable to speak Spanish. 4:00AM. Miami's independent source of The most audacious plot allegedly hatched in the back of Porky's was to purchase a former Soviet submarine for $5.5 million for a Colombian drug cartel so it could ship cocaine up the coast to California. Instead, they eat rice for lunch and dinner, drink dirty river water, and use a hole in the ground for a toilet. In the early 1990s, three friends set out to hustle the Russian mob, the Cali cartel and the DEA for the score of a lifetime. She's forgiven me, for the most part. He called me in two days and he asked me, do we want the submarine with missiles or without missiles? says Tarzan. His father, Arnold, was a strait-laced sales manager but a distant and disapproving dad. Join the New Times community and help support independent Join the New Times community and help support View Tony Galeota's 1940 US census record to find family members, occupation details & more. While he, Tarzan and Juan were dealing with the Colombians and while Tony and Tarzan even got onto a Russian military naval base to tour a possible submarine for the deal the entire time the Cuban was planning to rip off the Colombians. S10 E10 Miami Mobster Take Down. "But I've always paid for everything, either with stitches in my head, concussions, or jail time. Shea fatally blasted bouncer Richard Jimenez in the face and then opened fire on the dancers, shooting one in the chest and another in the head. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. "It's not an easy choice," she says. Log In. His mother, Bonnie Gellilti, was "a bit of a criminal," Tony remembers. It was coke or pimping or messing with the wrong people.. Almeida was a specialist in obtaining black-market goods for status-crazed drug dealers. It was a lot of kind of romancing them and explaining to them, hey, this is your chance to tell your story on kind of a broad canvas. "I'm not a religious person, but I believe I went to jail because I was living like a rock star -- running around with all these women, drinking a bottle of vodka every day for two years," he says. Although he knows he could receive the death penalty, the money is too tempting to resist. They were concerned that Tarzan and his arriviste colleagues in crime would merge with Cuban mobsters who already used brutal, bloody force to rule Miamis underworld and create a sort of supergroup of criminality. She is cute and curvy with dark hair and a button nose. Of the $10 million, he said, I cannot f- -king believe it how fast I spend it.. Luckier still, a powerful Colombian inmate named Mauricio Ramrez recognized Galeota from his restaurant. Eventually, however, he made his way to Tarzan. Kristy was able to pay a lawyer $500 to get her son released, but there was no bond for Galeota's drug offense. "We went there and we couldn't believe what we saw," says Josh Weiss, a former DJ at Porky's and one of Galeota's closest friends. Galeota is no angelic Andy Dufresne, the main character in Shawshank who serves two decades behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. Instead, they eat rice for lunch and dinner, drink dirty river water, and use a hole in the ground for a toilet. Follow this journalist on Twitter @MikeMillerMiami. Instead, Galeota admits he's done bad things, such as running Miami's most infamous strip club, Porky's, for years before moving to Panama and opening a brothel. Prostitution in Miami had become too risky, he decided, but overseas sex tourism was soaring. New laws effectively outlaw brothels such as the Doll House, permit or not but if Galeota walks with no convictions, it will surely embarrass officials trying to make it look like they're cleaning up the industry. independent local journalism in Miami. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. But Galeota's problems aren't completely behind him. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. His father, Arnold, was a strait-laced sales manager but a distant and disapproving dad. Moreover, trafficking prostitutes and drugs and involvement in organized crime are some serious charges.". He raises his eyebrows and looks upwards to the left to emphasize just how flabbergasted he was with Mishas counter question. ", Instead, he found another, tighter-knit family: the mob. He was 31. Russian immigrant Ludwig Fainberg, a.k.a. This time, I'm innocent.". Anthony Jr. was taken to a juvenile detention center that wasn't much better. Facebook Email or phone Password Forgot account? The Porky's party nearly came to a sudden end in early 1997. I hoped to walk away from the deal with $10 million.. It wasn't until he ordered some Italian food and a cold Guinness that he finally felt like he was free. "That clean, business-friendly, postcard-Panama bullshit is just a faade," Galeota says. They'd use their connections with immigration officials to obtain visas and prostitution licenses and then give Tarzan and Tony 40 percent of the profits to run a new club, called the Doll House. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. I'm kind of stuck with it. For 18 years, Galeota ran Porky's with the same punishing justice he learned from the mob and transformed it into Miami's most notorious whorehouse, where Russian gangsters and Cuban criminals spent millions on sex and drugs. "He had that guido effect on me," she says. Instead of celebrating, he walked through the scuzzy neighborhood until he found a shabby motel. June 4, 2013 S10 E10 - Miami Mobster Take Down Tony Galeota is framed for drug trafficking in Panama City. He ogled the women standing on corners in their underwear and high heels. But Galeota's problems aren't completely behind him. Were out there to cause an effect in the drug industry and I believe we made a little dent on it.. He was 31. A dozen plainclothes cops poured in with pistols drawn. And I'm not asking her to.". Galeota's imprisonment abroad marks the end of one of Miami's most outrageous eras, when Russian and Colombian cartels stocked strip clubs with cheap prostitutes and cheaper cocaine. La Joya is flush with contraband, from cell phones and cigarettes to marijuana and handguns all of it brought in with the complicity of corrupt guards. I had a friend of mine living in St. Petersburg, and I said, Misha, tell me something, Tarzan real name Ludwig Fainberg says in a heavy Russian accent. Kristy was a self-described "firecracker" who had also escaped from an abusive home and wanted attention. This looks great. . The FBI swooped in January 21, surrounding the club and arresting Fainberg. Sixteen months later, the two men have yet to appear in court. For a while, Panama's pay-to-play culture suited Galeota just fine. Anywhere other than La Joya, this news would be shocking. But the deal never happened. "I've done a lot of shady things in the States," he admits. Juan felt like he had no choice, says Russell. Tony Galeota Tony Galeota. Galeota's imprisonment abroad marks the end of one of Miami's most outrageous eras, when Russian and Colombian cartels stocked strip clubs with cheap prostitutes and cheaper cocaine. Indeed, Tony would turn Porky's into a moneymaking machine. The drugs will be turned over to the DEA. But his mind was on another kind of riches. When he left to open a bona fide brothel in Panama, Galeota thought the country's lax prostitution laws would make him rich. 16:56 GMT 13 Mar 2018 "Their connections were bigger than ours," he says. "I've done a lot of shady things in the States," he admits. And there was absolutely no bullshit. By the time they returned to Long Island later that night, a pimp was born. As the couple drove south on I-95, they thought they were leaving the worst behind them. "We just meshed," she says. The Coast Guard said each one of the kilos is worth $33,000. I flew to a little island near St. Petersburg, met with a retired Russian admiral, and he took me to the navy base, says Tarzan. Apparently knowing all too well how things would shake out, Yester decided to screw his partners and take off for Amsterdam with the first $10 million. In an instant, Galeota's meaty hand was around the customer's neck, shoving him outside. Back in South Florida, Kristy Galeota vacillates between outrage and empathy for her husband. A bartender characterized Porkys as the kind of place where you could get killed. Babushka was so notorious that FBI agents who described Tarzan as a matre d for criminals bugged the booths there. MICHAEL GALEOTA OBITUARY. "Keep your fucking hands off the girl!" "It was a real moneymaker. It wasn't until he ordered some Italian food and a cold Guinness that he finally felt like he was free. If Galeota is freed, it will be a major blow for Panama's prostitution crackdown. Advertisement. Years later, Tarzan again found himself behind bars, this time in Panama; in fact, he was serving time in 2011 when Russell first approached him for the documentary. A kilo of cocaine in Panama costs much less - about $5,000 per. While on routine patrol, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection plane spotted a suspicious speed boat. Johns paid $100 to rent a VIP room downstairs. And twice they had given up. While out of sight, he phoned his guy and lied about being in a particular taxi cab. Galeota is one of several Americans locked up here. As for Yester taking a flier with the cartel money, Tarzan says he would have done the same himself if he could have and expresses no hard feelings. Then she'd charge my friends $50 each," he says. "She hasn't worked for 15 years. His nightmare began in June of 2011, when police raided his Panama City strip club and arrested him and his Ukrainian partner for trafficking women and selling drugs. He was a character.. "But I've always paid for everything, either with stitches in my head, concussions, or jail time. When he left to open a bona fide brothel in Panama, Galeota thought the country's lax prostitution laws would make him rich. "My father wasn't in the mob, but his friends were," Tony says. Facilitating it. Its impossible but only because its true. Half an hour later, Galeota was guarding the door when a car rolled up with the window down. Tarzan and one of his partners, 'Fat Tony' Galeota, had opened a strip club in Panama similar to a previous enterprise in Miami called Porky's - but they landed behind bars in Central America.. "Whenever there is an American businessman involved in crime here in Panama, it becomes an important case. But in South Florida, he was once a strip club king. MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) The Coast Guard offloaded about $93 million of cocaine Thursday afternoon on Miami Beach. I gave each of my kids a Rolex when they were 5 years old. "It is with tremendous heartfelt sadness to announce the passing of Michael James. Facilitating it. "I've been in this business my whole life. Galeota yelled. The person they were going to pay for the submarine was the officer who let them [into the naval base], says Russell. He paid for her to secretly get an abortion. As far as he was concerned, he owned the military base. People named Tony Goleta. In describing Tarzan, Almeida says in the film, He struck me as an oddball. Tarzan classifies Almeida as a guy who had two drinks and thought he was Tony Montana. As for movie-star handsome, hooker-loving Yesters first impression of Tarzan: I said, This f- -king guy is trouble. Thirty minutes later, I loved the trouble., Abetted by the tumultuous state of the former Soviet Union the ruble was completely devalued and state-owned resources went to whomever had the most firepower gaining access to the submarine was surprisingly easy. "We were doing fantastic, but Tarzan got bored and started living the life," Galeota explains. He knew that the owners of a local strip club called Moulin Rouge David Fridman and Jake Lita (an Israeli wanted by German police on human-trafficking charges) had a business offer for the duo. GALEOTA, Joseph A., Sr. Joseph A. Galeota Sr., 86, of Ashford CT, died on Wednesday (January 26, 2011) at Windham Hospital from congestive heart failure. Marshals deported Ludwig Fainberg from Miami. The heavy-set Italian even signed a release. So I was literally stepping over dead bodies of the people who had been shanked and stuff over the course of the night.. "She would use shoe polish to change our driver's licenses so we could go to clubs and drink when we were 15. Guards with machine guns man rusty metal towers. It had been ten years since U.S. Here, Galeota is just one of 500 prisoners crammed into a filthy cell block designed to hold 200 people. Russian mobsters learned about their comrade's successful venture, and adopted the club as a virtual office.