Anthony “Tony” Stollo: the early days
First of all, I must tell you that I am stopping the extra episode every week until we get another “Shutdown.” Things are opening up here in KC and I want to play a little golf. This week Cam and I take a look at an early Lupara Blanca or “White Shotgun” murder. We learned during our Pizza Connection research that this means a mafia murder where the body is never found.
- Strollo was born in Manhattan on June 14, 1899, to Italian immigrants Leon and Jennie Strollo.
- He grew up in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village where the Lucky Luciano Crime Family was known to dominate.
- He started his work life as a truck driver and progressed into the rackets during the late 1920s.
- Lucky Luciano promoted Tony Strollo to a capo and his underboss was Vito Genovese.
- The infamous mob turncoat Joseph Valachi was one of the “soldiers” assigned to Tony Strollo as one of his crew. Valachi would later claim that he disliked Tony Strollo because he thought Stollo was conceited.
Tony Strollo and his personal life
- Tony Strollo married a Jewish woman named Edna Goldenberg and they lived in Greenwich Village and would later move to the suburbs in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
- Tony Strollo had several children with his wife and none of them grew up to be in the rackets
- Tony Strollo was the son of Calabrian immigrants Leone and Giovannina Nigro.
- Strollo had two brothers, Emilio and Dominick.
His path in the Mob
- Strollo was a well-known underworld leader in Greenwich Village.
- He ran loansharking, gambling, and bookmaking rackets from Greenwich Village to the Hudson River docks.
- He maintained financial interests in cafes and night clubs in the Village.
- He controlled New Jersey Teamsters Local 560 and he made sure that Hoffa confidant and future enemy Anthony “Tony Pro” Provenzano was elected president of the local.
- Strollo had a close relationship with New Jersey politicians.
What happened?
- Vito Genovese attempted to have Frank Costello (temporary boss for Lucky Luciano) murdered and Costello steps down allowing Genovese to become boss.
- Joe Valachi jumps bail on a narcotics charge and Strollo convinces him to turn himself in and go to prison.
- Vito Genovese is convicted of a narcotics charge and ends up in the same prison as Valachi.
- Genovese suspects Valachi and another Strollo subordinate named Vincent Mauro of giving information to help the feds make his narcotics case.
- The Profaci family suspect Strollo of inciting the Gallo brothers to challenge them before brokering a peace deal
Blanca Lupara for Tony Strollo
- On April 8, 1962, Anthony “Tony” Strollo, disappeared on Sunday evening, April 8, 1962. He went out for a walk and kept on going?
- Edna filed a missing person report with the local police and said he was last seen with an unknown associate driving away from their Fort Lee, New Jersey, home.
- The body of Tony Strollo was never found
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