James Galante (born January 5, 1953) is an American convicted felon and associate of the Genovese crime family, [1] owner of the defunct Danbury Trashers minor-league hockey team and a defunct racecar team fielding cars for Ted Christopher, and ex- CEO of Automated Waste Disposal (AWD), a company that holds waste disposal contracts for most of He was dining with Leonard Coppola, a Bonanno capo and staunch Galante loyalist, and restaurant owner/cousin Giuseppe Turano, a Bonanno soldier. They thought we were insane. Among the allegations, Stirling and Galante allegedly violated the UHLs $275,000/team salary cap by giving several players and their wives no-show jobs with AWD and hiding illegitimate payments as housing allowances, according to the indictment, which stated that the Trashers real payroll was nearly $750,000. It is estimated that his father's net worth is around $3 Million. I was just telling someone, a lot of the enforcers that would fight each other were friends, they were buddies. So many guys, they just stay in the sport one way or the other. He is known chiefly for his father, Jimmy Galante. brothers Maclain and Chapman Way's new series of Netflix documentary films, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Stirling and Galante allegedly violated the UHL's $275,000 per team salary cap by giving several players and their wives no-show jobs with AWD and hiding illegitimate payments as housing allowances. And it was sick, because a couple of the guys, Wingfield, Murasty, Id be like, Number two, and theyd nod, and they just did it. Loading. James Galante, of Marblehead, avoids a tackle on a punt return in the Division 3 Elite 8 playoff football game against Masconomet at Marblehead High School on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021. The United States government came in and seized my assets, and one of the assets was the team, he said. Yeah, I know. In the 1950s, Bonanno sent Galante to Montreal, Canada to oversee the family's drug business there . Hes unbelievable. They never forgot who would treat them the way we treated them. Along with his son, Anthony Tony Boy Boiardo, Richie used waste management as a cover for their activities, according to the Express. Required fields are marked *. [8] Among those also indicted as a result of the investigation were former Waterbury Mayor Joseph Santopietro, former Division Manager for Diversified Waste and Genovese Crime Family enforcer Robert Taggett, federal Drug Enforcement Agent Louis Angioletti, several of Galante's underlings and former Danbury Trashers hockey coach H. Todd Stirling. It was at this meeting that the old and new Mafia divided the lucrative heroin trafficking routes and roles each clan would play. Powerful bosses relied upon his areas of expertise. Galante pushed his high school wants aside to lead this crew, anyway. While a senior at New Fairfield High, he was an alternate captain on the schools hockey team but couldnt play for long because of a serious injury. Hes still in Danbury, now running a boxing gym, but didnt mind reliving the glory days of the Trashers for posterity. They were there because early Friday morning, March 18, Galante was involved in a single-car crash on the Causeway where he was treated on scene, before being transported to a local hospital with. I put a kid in, 12-years-old, five years ago, when I was pushing 30. He studied stats and worked his team's storyline to "combine the best of both those worlds.". A cut-throat business, literally. You had the two brothers on the team. Theres two Connecticuts. On November 13, 2007, DeLuca cut the investigation short by announcing his resignation from the State Senate. They killed him! In, Crime and Penalties, the latest episode of Untold, Netflixs new sports documentary series, directors Chapman and Maclain Way (previously of Wild Wild Country) tell the story of how AJ Galante, 17-year-old son of an alleged mobster and unapologetic fan of pro wrestling and The Mighty Ducks, turned the Danbury Trashers into the bad boys of the UHL. But hey, I stayed here, Im trying to build stuff over here. After serving in the Air Force for a while, Jimmy was honorably discharged in 1975. Celebrity.fm #1 Official Stars, Business & People Network, Wiki, Success story, Biography & Quotes, Who is Theodens son? Who is Roger Howarth playing on General Hospital now? The whole thing was crazy. Upon completing their second season as a full-fledged hockey crew, it all abruptly ended. Your email address will not be published. Thats a good question. My father started opening up pizza restaurants. It sounds crazy, but we found them. Hockey, a lot of teams, you have to have that, but a lot of teams dont want it, they just need it. Part Slap Shot, part The Sopranos (Galante was rumored to be the real-world inspiration for Tony Soprano, after all), . "People that get up in the morning to grind every day that, maybe, don't feel too fulfilled in their jobs. Angela: He was stocky, but it wasn't fat, he was all muscle. [24] Other Connecticut politicians, including Connecticut U.S. AJ worked as a truck driver for quite a while after the whole fiasco, but through all of that, he maintained a close relationship with his father. The lawyer was once Connecticut's top federal prosecutor and allegedly stole more than $600,000 from convicted Danbury mobster James Galante Vincent Salzo , Patch Staff Posted Fri, Jan 15, 2016 at . Jimmy Galante or James Galante owned his own company a trash collection business that grew tremendously before he purchased a minor age league hockey team that was set up in Danbury, Connecticut. [4], Galante was owner of twenty five different trash disposal businesses based out of Danbury, Connecticut and estimated to be worth over $100 million. I cant speak for my father, but I dont think he watched it before that, either. In 2014 Jimmy was released from prison and now he is working in federal prison for six years. It kind of immobilized my leg, and I went to pivot and turn, and my leg was just there. His monthly income is around $200,000. I read about the equipment manager, that you guys had maybe playing some tricks on the other teams [such as soaking the home jerseys in Crisco so the other team couldnt grab them]. James Galante, more popularly known as Jimmy Galante, is the owner of the defunct Danbury Trashers, a minor league hockey team, and also owns a racecar team fielding cars for Ted Christopher. Sometimes in sports, with siblings, you kind of separate them a little bit, but they just, I mean, theyre not even twins, but they were so in sync with each other, it was incredible. Is The Sopranos based on Jimmy Galante? Because like the mob, you're all intertwined, you're all family.. At the time of this interview, AJ admitted he hadn't watched Crimes and Penalties yet. Just like Tony Soprano (played by a different Jim, Gandolfini), the fictional boss of Northern New Jersey whose official business was waste management, Galante ruled a fiefdom in the New York City suburbs from his office in Danbury, Connecticut. I think thats in Michigan or Illinois. AJ Galante lived with his family in New Fairfield, Connecticut, at the time. And then, theres New England Connecticut, like Boston Red Sox fan Connecticut. He owned a trash collecting business that grew substantially before he purchased a minor league hockey team that was set up in Danbury, Connecticut. Most of his earnings come from his business and side projects. I didnt grow up boxing, and this kid is actually now, at 17, the number one ranked super heavyweight in America. I was like, We have to have him. He was often accused of working with local mob families, specifically the Genovese crime family, to secure this control over the area. He was born in the Bronx, New York in the United States on January 5, 1953. The film claims that James Galante was the inspiration for the character Tony Soprano, although it is disputed and many have said it is loosely based on New Jersey mobster Vincent Palermo. He has a net worth of $500k, which is enough to lead a happy yet lavish lifestyle. That was when the idea for a hockey team in Danbury, Connecticut, took shape. But yeah, the brothers, we had a mutual friend, and they ended up coming on board. "James was a great athlete. He had that God complex. Paul Grondahl. In a separate incident, in December 2004, Galante was charged with assaulting a UHL official during a game between the Trashers and the Kalamazoo Wings. So yes, he was the one who committed the crime and faced the penalties. I kind of stay in my little hole here, and I just observe, and kind of do what my dad did with the Trashers, what I grew up watching him do. My eyes watered. James Galante (born 1953) is a convicted felon and associate of the Genovese crime family, owner of the defunct Danbury Trashers minor league hockey team and also a racecar team fielding cars for Ted Christopher, and ex- CEO of Automated Waste Disposal (AWD), a company which holds waste disposal contracts for most of western Connecticut and Westchester and Putnam counties in New York. He bought his son a minor league hockey team. Stirling also faced six counts of wire fraud related to the filing of fraudulent weekly salary cap reports. Chief among them, Joseph Bonanno, the leader of the Mafia family Galante had become a member of and would one day come to lead himself. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Blending WWE with the UHL is a disruptive idea, to be sure. HBO. So there's this new Netflix series called, "Untold: Crimes and Penalties". I came back running and sprinting. He trusted the Sicilian people more than he trusted anyone else. AJ grew up with his family in New Fairfield@COMA Connecticut. Celebrity.fm #1 Official Stars, Business & People Network, Wiki, Success story, Biography & Quotes. Flying by the seat of his pants, calling in favors, and working to build a team packed to the brim with brawlers, Galante looked to his favorite wrestlers, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker, and took notes in how they, under the guidance of his hero Vince McMahon, crafted a narrative and galvanized the crowd. The DeCavalcante family made its money by racketeering, controlling a powerful division of the Laborers International Union of North America in Elizabeth, New Jersey, which helped push millions into mob coffers. No-bid contracts and old-fashioned ass whippings! For the Galante family, the Sopranos parallels are unavoidable. I kind of just sit back and observe and kind of play chess from here. Putnam Victory Fund. If you have not seen it, the show is about a guy named "Jimmy Galante" who buys his son a hockey team called, " The Trashers". He surrounded himself with them, using them as bodyguards. Galante built a local business empire in the garbage removal industry in Danbury, owning 25 different companies that controlled more than half of waste removal in three local counties. They were nuts. The first trailer for The Many Saints of Newark debuted on Tuesday, giving fans of the HBO hit series The Sopranos a look at how James Gandolfini 's Tony became a master mobster. Terms of Service, 2023Gangsters Inc. - www.gangstersinc.org Powered by WordPress.com VIP. And theyre like, Oh, that guy, David Beauregard, hes got one eye. So, I guess he was a big high-level prospect coming up, and from what I heard, he was on a breakaway once. I got no A/C in here, so its like Im dying, but what are you going to do? After all, how would his fighters react to seeing the home movies he submitted from his childhood? Well, Danbury, Im still here, obviously. Closing hand on puck. It seems like such a funny combination to me. After enjoying lunch on an open patio at Joe and Mary's Italian-American Restaurant, Galante was confronted by three men wearing ski-masks. Celebrity.fm #1 Official Stars, Business & People Network, Wiki, Success story, Biography & Quotes, Who died on escaping polygamy? Stupid, annoying things like the opposing bench may or may not have been welded so they couldnt open the door. As the team president, how did you sort of foster an environment that would make it happen? Galante was only initially paid $7.6 million. The indictment included allegations that Galante and others conspired to commit arson and kidnapping by damaging a truck owned by one of Galantes competitors and by kidnapping the driver of that truck at gunpoint. 'The Search' on Netflix Covers the Heartbreaking Death of Paulette Gebara Farah, 'Aftermath' Is Based on the Terrifying True Story of Jerry Rice and Janice Ruhter, Evan Peters Will Star as This Notorious Serial Killer in Ryan Murphy's New True-Crime Series on Netflix. Its my buddy Jon Mirasty. Hes in Bakersfield, California at the time. After claims that the government violated their plea agreement, he was given the remaining $3.1 million. Michael Gandolfini is the son of Sopranos star and Hollywood legend James Gandolfini. He's still relying on the notion that his success is "a total fluke." Libby Torres. Netflixs Untold: Crime and Penalties brings to the viewers this rather unusual story of the meteoric success that AJ achieved as a teenager before an FBI investigation into his fathers businesses changed everything. In 2004, Jimmy Galante was the CEO of a trash business. What was the injury that actually ended your hockey career? [9], Galante was charged in 93 counts of the indictment, with various alleged violations of federal law, including racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, Hobbs Act extortion, mail and wire fraud, witness tampering, tax fraud and conspiracy charges. So, I was playing. New York Mafia boss Carmine Galante was one of the most ruthless mobsters in the world. I dont know. And theyre sick. It was more than a sports game, AJ, admitted. Come along for the ride! Growing up, AJ was instantly attracted to the game of hockey and wanted to play nothing else. Your email address will not be published. In the pros, at the time, everyone either had to a half visor or no visor. I don't think he thought he would ever die. Fifteen years have passed since the Danbury Trashers disbanded in 2006 as a result of the federal investigation that landed Jimmy Galante in prison after he pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, tax fraud and wire fraud. , Erik Goddard Vs Brian McGrattan. Thankfully. But after Jimmys arrest in 2006, the team also ceased to exist amidst the controversy surrounding the FBIs investigation into Jimmy. I didnt feel sorry for myself. It was tough. Turning off the heat. And this guy has a full fishbowl visor. I didnt sit on my laurels. I would have been right in there with them. He was one of the first new guys the Bonannos made when the books were reopened in 1976. I mean, there was a lot of stuff, away games were crazy too, because usually, hockey teams, theyre tough at home, but when they go away, they kind of shy away from it. Or at least he was, until a catastrophic injury his senior year. Then when the pain started rushing to my body, I just started pounding on my leg, which sent the knee cap back into place. The Trashers . Why he chose pizza places I'll never know, but it was nice getting free pizza all the time.. It is what it is. Jimmy admitted to paying the players on the hockey team more than the salary cap stipulated by the league by having them enrolled as no-show employees in his businesses. Here is a brief guide to the essential ice hockey rules! He said: Chase said: 90 percent of [The Sopranos] is made up, [but] its patterned after this [family].. [6] As a result, municipalities, businesses and residents paid artificially inflated carting prices for years. Yeah. James Galante (born January 5, 1953) is an American convicted felon and associate of the Genovese crime family,[1] owner of the defunct Danbury Trashers minor-league hockey team and a defunct racecar team fielding cars for Ted Christopher, and ex-CEO of Automated Waste Disposal (AWD), a company that holds waste disposal contracts for most of western Connecticut and Westchester and Putnam counties in New York. The story of Jimmy Galante and his garbage empire he built in Danbury, Conn., spans through the 90s and into the early 2000s. I know I do. He was later put in Massinos crew and . The character of Tony Soprano is said to have been inspired by DeCavalcante crime family boss, John The Eagle Riggi as detailed in an episode of the American Greed series, titled Mob Money. Sometimes it happened, sometimes it didnt. I was under the impression that he worked for the CIA or FBI and that he was on these missions.. morton ranch junior high bell schedule. The FBI had undercover agents that gathered information from Jimmys men, and soon, wiretaps and search warrants followed. I know when my dad started the team, one of his main reasons was, Hey, I want to bring an identity to the city. It only lasted two years, but were still talking about it to this day. What he did might be wrong, but he excelled at it. Jon Nasty Mirasty. And with no experience managing a professional sports team, AJ cobbled together a formidable hockey teameven tapping Brent Gretzky, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky's lesser-known brother, to lead the roster. . It's a notion he humbly accepts but still isn't sure he deserves. He was getting hooked, and it just came up and caught him. Secret location (WITSEC) I heard James (Jimmy) was Galantes son, not nephew. The defense asked for a smaller sentence, pointing to Jimmy and his familys philanthropic activities over the years. The team quickly became notorious for its violent streak in the rink and was popular among the passionate fans watching the games. I just became a fan. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. He has a net worth of $500k, which is enough to lead a happy yet lavish lifestyle. I know I do. Since he was a kid@COMA he got attracted to hockey. But unfortunately, a lot of NHL teams, foolishly, in my opinion, kind of steered away from him, because hes got one eye. James Galante, 18, a senior at Marblehead High School, died of his . By now, Galante had established himself as a capable and reliable hitman. Jimmy Galante is a Bronx-born garbage magnate with suspected mob ties, who by the early aughts had a business empire worth a reported $100 million. So, we were looking to replace him. It also estimated that the Genovese familyconsists of about 270 @COMILLASmade@COMILLAS members. He was a Native American Indian, from somewhere in Saskatchewan. The Danbury Trashers' reign was short-lived, but their larger-than-life reputation lives on. He was about five foot seven with boots on. On the other side, in terms of scorers, you had this guy Beauregard, the guy with the one eye. The New York Times described him. In 1957, he accompanied his boss to Palermo, Sicily, where both men attended the infamous meeting of American and Sicilian Mafia bosses at the Grand Hotel et des Palms. In 1999, Galante was sentenced to 12 months and a day in federal prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion. He set up Champs Boxing Club in Danbury after that. At that time it never felt like anything but a vacation to me. We brought him in midway through the first year. His story is now the subject of a new Netflix crime documentary, Untold: Crime & Penalties, releasing on the streaming service on Aug. 31. He saw drugs as his opportunity to almost take over the world, Angela says. I knew nobody. But you didnt have people coming up to you being like, Oh, man, youve got to see this. Who was Jimmy Galante? AJ's viewed as a local hero by the citizens of Danbury, Connecticut. He was later sentenced to 87 months in prison. File photo. No, hockey guys are the most humble guys. On Thursday, his photograph was published in the local newspaper to announce his plans to play football next. We were so excited when daddy would come home. It never dawned on me Oh this is a great place for dad to bring in his drugs. I didn't know any of that., There was a lot she didnt know. Depending on whom you ask, Jimmy Galante was either one of its mobsters or a legit businessman whose waste-removal company had become associated with the Mafia. Galante was now moving among the elite of the underworld. Oh God, Jon Mirasty. Wine and Cheeseburger: Harley and Lara Pair Falafel with Wine. In June 2008, Jimmy decided to make a deal and pleaded guilty to racketeering, conspiracy to defraud the IRS, and wire fraud conspiracy. Why did he stop playing in the NHL after he lost the eye? Celebrity.fm #1 Official Stars, Business & People Network, Wiki, Success story, Biography & Quotes. What I learned is that for most of the enforcers, it was their job. He did contract murders for some of the biggest names in the New York underworld of the 1930s and 1940s. The team, owner James Galante and former coach J. Todd Stirling were accused Friday, June 9, 2006, of defrauding the United Hockey League, violating its salary cap by giving some players and. Were about an hour north of New York City. This was based on the practice by many of the participants to use pizza parlors as fronts for their drug business. On July 12, 1979, Galante was killed just as he finished eating lunch on an open patio at Joe and Mary's Italian-American Restaurant at 205 Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn. When you say you set it up, obviously, fans love hockey fights, I like watching hockey fights, but its not in the rule book. I ended up watching it years later. That's how Sicilian he was. Galante was no different, his daughter says. Celebrity.fm #1 Official Stars, Business & People Network, Wiki, Success story, Biography & Quotes, Are Mary Lou and Cody together? It was responsible for picking up trash in most of Connecticut and some counties in New York. How Do You Get Rid Of Hiccups In 5 Seconds? Watch Untold: Crimes & Penalties drops on Netflix on Aug. 31. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. In June 2008, Galante pleaded guilty to these charges. She was just destroyed, because she loved him. [7], In June, 2006, twenty-nine people, including Galante, former Trashers' coach Todd Stirling, and Ianniello were indicted for defrauding the United Hockey League. The film claims that James Galante was the inspiration for the character Tony Soprano, although it is disputed and many have said it is loosely based on New Jersey mobster Vincent Palermo. A lot of those guys they were shunned from other teams, because they were a little nuts. Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment of Galante and 28 others in an alleged Mafia-backed scheme to stifle competition in the trash industry (Republican American, September 1, 2007) I dont know if it was adrenaline, but then I just couldnt get up. James Galante, who had direct ties to the Genovese crime family, who have been cited as part of the inspiration for The Sopranos, was arrested under a massive FBI indictment and was charged. 10. Galante was accused of donating to a PAC ( Political Action Committee) which laundered money to several politicians who may have used their influence to award contracts to Galantes trash hauling business. And I put him in there, when he was a little fat kid, 11, 12-years-old. His Broadway debut was in the 1992 revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire" with Jessica Lange and Alec . In Sunday's commercial, it was Sigler who was behind the wheel and in a sweet twist at the end, the actress reunites with her Sopranos costar Robert Iler, who played her on-screen brother, A.J . A lot of these guys turn to coaching, believe it or not. . "Honestly, for a good day or two, I was scared. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2012-2023 On Secret Hunt - All Rights Reserved Great show. We had a very skilled team we wanted entertainment, and whether people like it or not, fighting and physicality, that was a huge part of hockey. The businesses handled 80% of garbage hauling in southern and western Connecticut, and Westchester and Putnam counties in New York. He was just unbelievable, that guy. Powerful bosses relied upon his areas of expertise. He was contacted by The Atlantic for a profile in May 2018 and told the outlet the only thing he was up to was enjoying life., While his son, AJ, is no longer in charge of the Danbury Trashers, he's reportedly started a boxing club close to his hometown and told The Atlantic he was attempting to make the area a reputable location for boxing, in competition with Oxnard, Calif.. As of November 2007, a State Senate Committee was considering an appropriate sanction for DeLuca. As of 2023, James Galante's net worth is estimated to be $3 million. A lot of them are coaching now, actually. However, in hockey, fighting is part of The Code. Fighting has been an officially accepted part of hockey at the professional level for almost a century. Rule 46 in the NHL rule book allows referees to determine appropriate penalties after a fight. But no, I dont get in there. How? We found the guys that liked it.. You know what? The guy wasnt swinging a stick at him, it was more or less just kind of a fluke thing. The FBI was investigating Jimmy for suspected ties to the mob. I don't know what I'm doing, first of all. "I don't like to say that because we're playing with people in real life, but that's what it was. I was just talking to Brad Wingfield the other day. 3 of 50. We found guys that cherished this role. [11], Although he initially entered a plea of not guilty, in June 2008, Galante agreed to a change-of-plea hearing. He ended up serving an eight-year sentence. After all, he gave his dad his word that he would. I'm sure that this made him get into the wrong company., She believes it also gave her father a mindset that helped him overcome any obstacle he faced in the violent environment he moved in. But from what he told me, it was an accident. Because he wasn't home a lot. What is the best hockey fight of all time?