Seidle was never charged with a crime. As he sweated in jail, Galeota's Panamanian empire crumbled. 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. Prostitution was so common at Porky's that the club had fixed places and prices, Galeota says. Tony Galeota Age And Family. A tattoo of an Italian Mafioso emerges from an extra-large sleeveless T-shirt. Over the years, Galeota saw nearly a dozen shootings at Porky's, some of them fatal. "I don't care how strong you are; that's going to affect your marriage," she says. June 4, 2013 Michael Galeota, who starred on the Disney Channel's "The Jersey" died Sunday, according to Variety. (Panama passed harsher penalties for human trafficking during Galeota's incarceration, but Galeota can't be prosecuted under laws that weren't in place when he was arrested. Anthony Galeota was born October 17, 1968, on Long Island. The 43-year-old is shaped like a mini refrigerator: short and squat, with a shaved head and wide-set emerald eyes. The Doll House couldn't expand fast enough to meet the influx of sex tourists. In court statements and interviews with New Times, they said Galeota gave them contracts to sign, cell phones and computers to use, and apartments in which to live. While on routine patrol, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection plane spotted a suspicious speed boat. But in South Florida, he was once a strip club king. "She hasn't worked for 15 years. Almeida was a specialist in obtaining black-market goods for status-crazed drug dealers. Almeida, back in Moscow, trying to work out yet another deal and not realizing that this one had already soured, managed to temporarily elude arrest. It was apparent they had what appeared to be narcotics and after we did the test they had bales on board of pure cocaine, said Boatswains Mate Omar Castro with the U.S. Coast Guard. And, above all, selling it. His attorney has warned him that prosecutors will likely appeal, so he plans to stay in Panama until his case is resolved. In the distance, La Cordillera de San Blas cuts through the Panamanian jungle like a serrated knife. Both Juan and Tarzan shared with Russell how they had graduated from buying helicopters, motorcycles and cars for the cartel from Russia to pursuing a submarine for the drugrunners. Yester told the Colombians that theyd have to pay $35 million for the vessel, even though Tarzan had talked the price down to $5.5 million plus just $600 for a crew to pilot it to Colombia. He was talking to Fainberg about a murder he'd witnessed in Porky's parking lot. His mother, Bonnie Gellilti, was "a bit of a criminal," Tony remembers. As Fainberg and a wealthy Cuban-American named Juan Almeida sat in the Federal Detention Center downtown, and newspapers across the country splashed the sensational story of the drug submarine scheme, Galeota focused on staying out of court. The entire situation sounds like something dreamed up for a Miami Vice-inspired action thriller, but it actually happened in the 1990s and the trio came very close to pulling it off before one of them pocketed the cartels millions and went on the run. Director Tiller Russell Stars Ludwig Fainberg Juan Almeida Nelson Yester See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 44 User reviews 9 Critic reviews Awards 1 nomination Videos 2 Trailer 1:46 Russian immigrant Ludwig Fainberg, a.k.a. "It is with tremendous heartfelt sadness to announce the passing of Michael James. But this was Hialeah.". "Thank God I'm out," he tells New Times in his first interview since his release. A 28-year-old English teacher named Tim Schrader agrees to smuggle eight kilos of heroin into the U.S. to solve his financial problems. But in South Florida, he was once a strip club king. Born on June 3, 1924 at Hartford. His father, Arnold, was a strait-laced sales manager but a distant and disapproving dad. He headed right to his beloved Miami, Florida. Log In. "Luis pulled out a .38 and shot the guy in the chest. He offered protection and gave Galeota $200. Because of his age, he escaped with six months' probation. Bonnie also shoplifted booze to sustain her hard drinking habit. "I'm used to getting my water from a rain bucket, not hot from the tap." Two days later, he was transferred to La Joya a hellish cinder-block complex an hour outside of Panama City. While out of sight, he phoned his guy and lied about being in a particular taxi cab. This looks great. . Again, the charges were dropped. But killings are common in Panama's worst prison, where the smell of raw sewage wafts over the yard, metal shackles hang from mouldy staircases, and overcrowded cells house nearly 3,500 of the Western Hemisphere's vilest murderers, rapists, and drug traffickers. "There was no transportation, no cops, no nothing," he says. Advertisement. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Texas man busted in death of DJ galpal found stuffed in suitcase in Colombia, Inside the luxe lives of El Chapo's sons including jailbird Ovidio Guzmn Lpez, Arizona officials say Mexican cartels control US border: 'Ticking time bomb', Passengers on Aeromexico flight crouch in fear as plane caught in cartel crossfire: video. Instead of celebrating, he walked through the scuzzy neighborhood until he found a shabby motel. Instead, he says competitors pulled government strings to screw him. Photo courtesy of Josh Weiss - Giant insects infest the prison. A tattoo of an Italian Mafioso emerges from an extra-large sleeveless T-shirt. Greed got the better of him. Police repeatedly raided the club, yet Galeota escaped unscathed every time. Meet me in Africa for a cup of coffee tomorrow.. 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. Tony was a tough, muscular little shit back then. And there was absolutely no bullshit. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Tony Galeota Tony Galeota. For the most part, Doll House dancers agree. Is this possible, to buy a military submarine - used one? And he said, What a question! ", Coast Guard Offloads More Than $93 Million In Cocaine, Miami Beach. Yester, a highly regarded affiliate of multiple cocaine cartels, opened European markets for Colombian narco-terrorist Pablo Escobar and went on the run in 1990 after being charged with cocaine trafficking. 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. And last year, Yester was finally arrested in Rome on charges unrelated to the submarine while en route to a wedding. It was coke or pimping or messing with the wrong people.. They arrested 18 suspects, including Galeota, several strippers, and most employees. By the time they returned to Long Island later that night, a pimp was born. His father, Arnold, was a strait-laced sales manager but a distant and disapproving dad. "But I did it for my child.". 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. On June 19, 2011, Tony and his oldest son, 15-year-old Anthony Jr., had just sat down to eat wings in the Doll House office around 11 p.m. when the gold-painted doors burst open. 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. Instead, he's trapped in a labyrinthine legal system, alone and unable to speak Spanish. "They shot him in the middle of the night," Galeota continues quietly, "and buried his body behind the pavilion.". Behind him, 12-foot-high fences topped with spools of barbed wire frame a muddy soccer field. "When you're in La Joya for two years, you get used to that environment," Galeota says. 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. They finally fled the country this past July, leaving Tony alone. Its about 2,800 kilos, about a ton and a half of contraband. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. "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. The message was that the cocaine traffickers would kill Yesters family members. ", McDonald has succeeded, however, in chipping away at the case, persuading a judge three weeks ago to drop the trafficking charge on a technicality. 8:00AM. Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida But he was too shell-shocked to take up his attorney's offer for a ride to a nice hotel. 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. Indeed, Tony would turn Porky's into a moneymaking machine. Then she'd charge my friends $50 each," he says. Dancers with names like Baby Doll, Tipsie, Trixie, and Crme offered to have sex with the cops for as little as $150, court records show. "But I've always paid for everything, either with stitches in my head, concussions, or jail time. "She would use shoe polish to change our driver's licenses so we could go to clubs and drink when we were 15. Anthony Galeota was born October 17, 1968, on Long Island. He ogled the women standing on corners in their underwear and high heels. ", 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/. The heavy-set Italian even signed a release. Luckier still, a powerful Colombian inmate named Mauricio Ramrez recognized Galeota from his restaurant. 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. But instead of classical music, his specialty is sex. The gig introduced him to a lifelong vice. Tarzan eventually testified against Juan and was deported to Israel, where he recanted his testimony meaning Juans conviction for conspiracy to traffic cocaine was overturned and he went free. We did outsmart the FBI, we did outsmart the DEA, we even did outsmart the court, Tarzan says in the film. South Florida's independent Awards. State and local police launched an investigation in February 2009. McDonald expects those will be dismissed as well, but not for months. The heavy-set Italian even signed a release. Santiago de Cali shone in the syrupy South American sunlight filling Colombia's Cauca River Valley. "But she's never going to forget. The year before, his father helped him land a job as a wedding DJ. As far as he was concerned, he owned the military base. But the story of how the documentary got made is nearly as crazy as the caper plot itself. Facebook Email or phone Password Forgot account? "This case has had a big impact here," says Jos Otero, a reporter for Panamanian newspaper La Prensa. All he needed now were the prostitutes. It could be worse. Juan felt like he had no choice, says Russell. Even though Yester may have suspected that the cartel was after him, he couldnt help but try to get his hands on the remaining $25 million. Panamanian police had been casing the Doll House, Moulin Rouge, and another joint, called Havana Club, for weeks. "My father wasn't in the mob, but his friends were," Tony says. "If you like to eat chocolate and you live in a chocolate factory, you're going to eat chocolate," he says. He called me in two days and he asked me, do we want the submarine with missiles or without missiles? says Tarzan. "My wife could have left me. Miami mobster Tony Galeota is locked up in Panama after being framed for drug dealing and human trafficking. When the bartender told Shea it was last call, he became enraged. View Tony Galeota's 1940 US census record to find family members, occupation details & more. 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. "Then they'd tell me: 'They are as good as dead.'". When he left to open a bona fide brothel in Panama, Galeota thought the country's lax prostitution laws would make him rich. There was a spate of murders, several police raids, and a federal drug-trafficking trial. Miami's underworld may still be seedy, but it has outsourced much of its shadiness to nearby Third-World countries such as Panama. She's forgiven me, for the most part. Catherine says she slept with customers because she needed the money to support her family. local Journalism in South Florida. Join Facebook to connect with Anthony Galeota and others you may know. It was a caper, for sure., He says: Tarzan was the lynchpin to it, because it was his story. "Now I'm living in hell.". But then the country's corrupt system turned on them. Galeota yelled. And multiple sources close to Fainberg say he was pressured to rat out Seidle but refused. 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. "They shot him in the middle of the night," Galeota continues quietly, "and buried his body behind the pavilion.". See Photos. Three weeks after the Doll House raid, Kristy was working the bar at Bongos when three teenagers walked into the restaurant. His mother, Bonnie Gellilti, was "a bit of a criminal," Tony remembers. They went Maserati shopping by helicopter so they could look at the cars from the air. Documentary Drama When Miami mobster Tony Galeota opens a club in Panama City, the competition frames him for drug dealing and human trafficking. The eight crew members aboard the Hope II and the vessel were taken into custody and will be turned over to U.S. officials for further investigation. "There were beautiful girls, just walking the streets, giving blowjobs for $10 or $15.". "Thank God I'm out," he tells New Times in his first interview since his release. When Galeota stood up, he checked his T-shirt for bullet holes, but found none. He raises his eyebrows and looks upwards to the left to emphasize just how flabbergasted he was with Mishas counter question. The $33,000 number is actually the wholesale price in the US for smugglers - or how much a kilo is worth delivered to US soil, for traffickers. He was hilarious and charming and garrulous, and it was as if hed stepped right out of a Scorsese movie, Russell says, adding: You know whats the funny thing people dont know about docs? During a visit last month, a New Times reporter witnessed one police official receive a $20 bill in a barely disguised handshake. Girls charged $150 or more for sex. A dozen plainclothes cops poured in with pistols drawn. "Their connections were bigger than ours," he says. When crews were launched to investigate, the suspected smugglers threw several packages into the water. Were out there to cause an effect in the drug industry and I believe we made a little dent on it.. This story has been shared 173,716 times. This time, the feds took over the strip club before selling it to new owners, with one requirement: Neither Galeota nor anyone else from the old club could ever work there again. This time, I'm innocent.". Russian mobsters learned about their comrade's successful venture, and adopted the club as a virtual office. "Another night at Porky's, another shooting," he remembers now from his prison cell in Panama. The 43-year-old is shaped like a mini refrigerator: short and squat, with a shaved head and wide-set emerald eyes. And then Russell got a text message out of the blue. Panama's judicial system is outdated and overburdened, she says. "It's not an easy choice," she says. Tarzans on board and essentially youre in the movie, one way or another. Then I ended up spending a great deal of what I like to call social engineering, which is kind of like the hanging out with all these guys theyre all very secretive cats with these very sketchy kind of criminal pasts. He met with mobsters in Cali mansions full of women, and he knocked on random doors in search of dancers. Join the New Times community and help support , updated But it was abundantly clear that the key figure in the deal was Yester and his story would be particularly illuminating though the CIA, DEA and FBI had been after him, without success, for more than two decades. People named Tony Galeta. And, above all, selling it. Facebook gives people the power. He left, but returned with a gun. In this real life Goodfellas tale, New York teen John Alite gets a job at his local Deli, a hangout for 'wise guys'. We've been here for two years!' But Porky's was just a Hialeah dive bar on the corner of SE 14th Street and Ninth Avenue, surrounded by cheap motels and buzzed by flights taking off from Miami International Airport. The year before, his father helped him land a job as a wedding DJ. In the meantime, he's spending time with his wife and kids. A deep bass line rattled customers' chests as they downed overpriced drinks. And so with like five days prep I jumped on a plane, went to Miami, started courting the cops and the feds and the US attorneys and all the good guys, the law enforcement side of it their participation was instrumental in it, because theyre the ones that have all the evidentiary record and all the surveillance video and the photos and the wiretaps and all that stuff, most of which is the sort of visual skeleton to the film. After that, Kristy closed Bongos. She's forgiven me, for the most part. It was a weeknight, and Porky's was washed in pale-pink neon light. For a while, Panama's pay-to-play culture suited Galeota just fine. Galeota is one of several Americans locked up here. Tony Galeota's shaved head fairly glows with nostalgia as he remembers the days when you might have strolled into his Hialeah bar in search of commercial sex, or maybe to get beaten up or swindled . Of the $10 million, he said, I cannot f- -king believe it how fast I spend it.. "I was 16 years old and amazed," he says. Sixteen months later, the two men have yet to appear in court. independent local journalism in Miami. 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. He was 31. But his mind was on another kind of riches. "Now I'm living in hell.". One can imagine they did plenty of drugs.. Guards with machine guns man rusty metal towers. See Photos. 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. But Galeota's problems aren't completely behind him. . Sixteen months later, the two men have yet to appear in court. According to Yester, the cartel provided an initial payment of $10 million. If Galeota is freed, it will be a major blow for Panama's prostitution crackdown. "We treated the women well.". He paid for her to secretly get an abortion. Kristy was a self-described "firecracker" who had also escaped from an abusive home and wanted attention. "But I've always paid for everything, either with stitches in my head, concussions, or jail time. Join the New Times community and help support independent When youre rolling with the criminal underworld, its always weird; its really weird in Russia.. With dark hair and pale, wide-set eyes, teenage Tony resembled a stocky Frank Sinatra. But the hassle had taken its toll on him. "Keep your fucking hands off the girl!" Prosecutors accused him of providing prostitutes for his Russian friends, trafficking drugs, selling stolen cigarettes and liquor, and setting up arms deals for Russian and Colombian cocaine smugglers. "I wouldn't leave a dog in that prison, let alone my husband.". Days go by without water, and when it does arrive, it's turbid sludge from a nearby river. Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida "We were doing fantastic, but Tarzan got bored and started living the life," Galeota explains. Twice, American authorities had investigated Galeota. October 4, 2012 "My family didn't care; they took it," Galeota says of the stolen goods. The last one locked the door. And I'm not asking her to.". Indeed, Havana Club has already reopened. Photo courtesy of Josh Weiss Surrounded by Colombian strippers, Galeota gives a toast during a party at the Doll House. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, From Porky's to Panamanian Prison: Web Extra. 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. They tried to squeeze Fainberg to get Seidle. But their courtship was cut short. But she insists that her husband's imprisonment has brought them closer. Kristy and his sons hid in a shabby, poorly protected office. Controlling it. Its a great success overall. Furious and Busted Rick Cedar steals radios to support his family. MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) The Coast Guard offloaded about $93 million of cocaine Thursday afternoon on Miami Beach. Galeota has seen several murders. It's not quite Shawshank Redemption, but when Tony Galeota walked out of a Panama City jail cell May 23, it was still a small serving of justice. You could not mislead him in any way or you could tell that the consequences could be serious, but I loved him. It was February 2011, and he was preparing to open the Doll House, his own strip club in Panama. Facilitating it. 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. Police again surrounded Porky's in the early hours of May 9, 2009. "My wife is never going to completely trust me. See Photos. The two ran Porky's for another decade after Fainberg's deportation. 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. 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. "I was always looking for their approval," he says, "but I never got that. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. Nobody was impressed more than Kristy Sharpe, an 18-year-old waitress from Orlando with blond hair, blue eyes, and lightly freckled skin. ), The narcotics charge, however, still stands despite little evidence linking Galeota to the drugs. 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. At the entrance to La Joya, ant hills and wasp nests surround a wooden sign. 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. Its impossible but only because its true. He was a character.. We've received your submission. One man stabbed someone over a $10 debt. Marshals deported Ludwig Fainberg from Miami. Wrongly imprisoned. Inside the prison, the sign is a running joke. He was the one whod been speaking directly to the cartel; he was the only one who knew the real amount of money Cali were willing to pay; and he was the one who took the risk and disappeared with millions of the cartels drug money. 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?. We travelled all the time. 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 Galeota's sheer size and mob connections are the only things keeping him from getting shivved in the dark. Tarzan managed to get light punishment for his 1997 conviction; he rolled over on Almeida and spent 30 months behind bars before being deported to Israel, where his family had immigrated, in 1999. "I've done a lot of shady things in the States," he admits. With dark hair and pale, wide-set eyes, teenage Tony resembled a stocky Frank Sinatra. "Anthony has been in jail for more than 15 months, and a judge hasn't even heard his case yet!" And, above all, selling it. "It is with tremendous heartfelt sadness to announce the passing of Michael James Galeota," Jan. 10, reads a statement on a Go Fund Me page, created by Galeota's family to raise money for his burial. While Galeota avoided testifying, Fainberg faced 30 counts including racketeering and conspiracy to traffic cocaine and heroin. Kenyan court is shown vital evidence ignored by police two years after his arrest over 4.5m cocaine haul, Body armor-clad Cancun cops are 'suspended' after posing for pictures with topless tourists on the beach, Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Ken Bruce: 'I always wanted to be a radio presenter from about 15', Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' Controlling it. Guards with machine guns man rusty metal towers. "Running a club in that neighborhood, win or lose, you've got to fight.". S10 E10 Miami Mobster Take Down. While Kristy was still in the States, he lived with five of his Colombian prostitutes. Then they pushed play on a cassette deck. 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. the agent said. He bought seven properties pretty much sight unseen.". The trio convened in Russia, and snapshots of them aboard the football-field-size sub, posing with the captain, hamming it up with one another, were shown to cartel members to make clear that the submarine sale closed with all parties naked in a bathhouse was for real. Galeota's wife Kristy comments "Porky's was definitely a place you could get killed." And she launched drunken tirades at Tony after baseball games, no matter how well the all-star shortstop performed. I definitely want his number and so I began chasing it from there and actually jumped on a plane, went down and smuggled myself into this Panamanian prison to meet with him.. The Coast Guard said each one of the kilos is worth $33,000. Moreover, trafficking prostitutes and drugs and involvement in organized crime are some serious charges.". In the second interdiction, a Customs plane spotted another suspicious boat off the coast of Panama on August 28th. He ogled the women standing on corners in their underwear and high heels. "It is with tremendous heartfelt sadness to announce the passing of Michael James Gal Anywhere other than La Joya, this news would be shocking. And theyre like, F*** yeah, lets do it. Finally, on May 23, the gate on Galeota's cramped cell swung open, and he was free to go. The year before, his father helped him land a job as a wedding DJ. The Coast Guard said the eight-member crew cooperated and was taken into custody. Inmates are fed bread and cheese for breakfast and rice (sometimes beans) for lunch and dinner. A man deeply embedded with Escobar's Medelln cartel, Tony had a notorious reputation as "a really bad guy"he was once caught with 41 passports, and featured on his own 1999 episode of America's. He escaped with his life and went on the run, aiming to avoid the cartel, Interpol and US law enforcers. Everything here has a cost.". 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.
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