Louis Vallario
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Louis Vallario,also known as "Big Louie" and "Big Lou" (born 1942), is a member of theGambino crime familywho was a top aide to bossJohn GottiandSalvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravanoin the late 1980s.
Criminal history[edit]
Vallario was born in New York to first-generation immigrants fromPiedmont, Italy.As a child, Vallario was friends with future Gambino mobster John Gotti. During the 1970s, Vallario joined the Aurello crew of the Gambino family in theBensonhurstandRed Hooksections ofBrooklyn.Vallario's illegal activities includedloansharking,illegal gambling,bookmaking,and laborracketeering.Vallario was a close criminal associate of Frank Fappiano, Edward Garafola, Thomas Carbonaro, and Joseph D'Angelo. When Gravano later became a government witness, he refused to testify against Vallario.
In 1986, Gotti murdered bossPaul Castellanoand took over the Gambino family. Gravano then became consigliere and Vallario took over Gravano's crew. Vallario reportedly became one of Gotti's top aides. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Vallario became a prominent figure in the construction industry and enjoyed major influence over the New York City labor unions.
Gotti's fall[edit]
In 1991, dozens of members of the family were indicted and sent to prison onRacketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act(RICO) charges, such asracketeering,extortion,loansharking,illegal gambling,conspiracyandmurder for hire.Gravano eventually turned state's evidence, as Gotti andConsigliereFrank "Frankie Loc" LoCasciowere sentenced tolife imprisonmentin 1992, the same time as Vallario was charged with racketeering.
In 1996, Vallario was promoted to the Gambino "Ruling Panel" with mobstersSteven "Stevie Coogan" GrammautaandMichael "Mikey Scars" DiLeonardo,John "Jackie Nose" D'AmicoandPeter Gotti.John Gotti created the panel to assist his sonJohn "Junior" Gotti,as acting boss. Vallario sat on the panel until 2002.
Convictions and prison[edit]
In April 2001, Vallario was indicted in a corruption case against officials ofService Employees International Union(SEIU) Local 32B-32J. Prosecutors charged that corrupt members of this local enriched themselves through no-show jobs. Vallario pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three yearsprobation.
In 2002, Vallario was indicted for murder, extortion, loansharking, bribery and illegal gambling. On April 23, 2004, Vallario pleaded guilty to the 1989 Weiss murder.[1]A recycling executive and former city editor of theStaten Island Advance,Weiss was involved with the Gambino family in an illegallandfillscheme. Boss John Gotti ordered Vallario to kill Weiss because Gotti feared Weiss might become a government witness. Vallario shot Weiss to death outside Weiss's home onStaten Island.Vallario was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison.
As of December 2011, Vallario is incarcerated in the Fort DixFederal Correctional Institution(FCI) inFort Dix, New Jersey.On October 15, 2013, he was released from prison.[2]
Further reading[edit]
- Capeci, Jerry and Gene Mustain.Gotti: Rise and Fall.New York: Onyx, 1996.ISBN0-451-40681-8
- Capeci, Jerry.The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia.Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002.ISBN0-02-864225-2
- Davis, John H.Mafia Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the Gambino Crime Family.New York: HarperCollins, 1993.ISBN0-06-109184-7
- Raab, Selwyn.Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires.New York: St. Martin Press, 2005.ISBN0-312-30094-8
References[edit]
- ^Saulny, Susan (April 24, 2004)."Man Linked to Gambino Family Pleads Guilty in 1989 Killing".New York Times.Retrieved29 December2011.
- ^"Louis Vallario".Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator.Retrieved29 December2011.
