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,[1] Cooking on the Lam,[2] and other books.
Contents |
Joseph Iannuzzi II is the son of a prominent New York bookmaker 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.
Joseph enlisted in the U.S. Marines and served in the Korean War. 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.
Iannuzzi is the godson of Michael "Midge" Belvedere, a former Colombo crime family 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.
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 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.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||