Matthew Ianniello

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Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello (June 18, 1920 - ) is an New York mobster with the Genovese crime family mobster who specialized in vice operations.

Ianniello served in World War II and was decorated for his service. After returning to the United States, Ianniello was denied a license to own a restaurant due to criminal ties. Ianniello had trouble finding work and allegedly joined the Genovese crime family for that reason. Ianniello later became the owner of Umberto's Clam House in the Little Italy section of Manhattan, a popular hangout for the Genovese and Colombo crime family mobsters. On April 4, 1972, Colombo mobster Joe Gallo was murdered at Umberto's (Ianniello was not present at the time). Ianniello was known primarily for operating singles bars and adult entertainment clubs in Manhattan's vice district. Ianniello was later convicted for refusing to testify before a Manhattan grand jury investigating police corruption, fined and given a one year suspended sentence.

In 1985, Ianniello was convicted for racketeering and skimming unreported income from Umbertos and his other businesses and received six years in prison. In 1988, Ianello was convicted on another racketeering charge. In 1995, Ianniello was released from prison. When Genovese boss Vincent Gigante went to prison, Ianniello became acting boss. By 1998, Ianiello was deeply involved in Teamsters Union Local 1181, a bus drivers union. Through the union, Ianiello forced a medical center to pay $100,000 to renew their lease and then make regular cash payments in order to keep it. Between 2001 and 2005 a protection fee placed on various Connecticut garbage businesses earned Ianniello more than $800,000.

In 2006 Ianniello plead guilty to a pair of racketeering charges (McShane 2007). He was sentenced on May 9, 2007 to 24 months in federal prison, to run concurrent with racketeering charges from New York in 2005. His son, Matty Jr. is the boss in training, holding all family assets under his name. (McShane 2007). As of October 2007, Ianniello is imprisoned at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) in Butner, North Carolina. His projected release date is April 3, 2009.

In prison, Ianniello allegedly saved the life of a prison guard who had fallen unconscious, and was going to be attacked by a gang of inmates, by standing over guard and fighting off attackers.

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