This Week In Gang Land
Tough Tony Federici, Legendary Wiseguy, Restaurateur, Corona Queens Good Guy, RIP
To
be sure, Anthony (Tough Tony) Federici, who died last week at the age of 82
after a long battle with lymphoma, was a member in good standing of the
Genovese crime family. But the "sea of humanity" that showed up to say
goodbye to Federici before he was laid to rest Monday at St Michael's
Cemetery in Elmhurst confirms something else: He was a good guy, a good
neighbor, and a good friend to thousands of New Yorkers.
For three hours on Saturday, and for most of the six hours on Sunday, a diverse crowd of hundreds of mourners had to wait in line to get into the Guida Funeral Home in Corona, Queens. They were there to pay their respects to the man that many knew as Tony Park Side, the friendly owner of the legendary Italian restaurant of that name which he opened in 1980.
The mourners were neighbors, close friends, lawyers, employees, and many customers who were just plain folks. There were local store owners whom Federici had helped remain in business or open up new stores with no interest loans when others closed during the Covid pandemic. And yes, there were more than a few Genovese family wiseguys who didn't care they'd be photographed by the FBI as they paid their respects to a "friend."
After 29 Years Behind Bars, Chuckie Russo May Be Home For Thanksgiving
Back
in 1997, capo Anthony (Chuckie) Russo thought he'd be going home when his
trial judge threw out his conviction for a double murder during the bloody
Colombo crime family war. But an appeals court reinstated it, and he was
sentenced to life. But 25 years later, another federal judge has granted him
a compassionate release and Russo will soon be back home in Brooklyn.
Lawyer Cites Testimony By Little Al In Plea For Compassion
Mark
Reiter, a John Gotti pal who's been behind bars for 34 years for drug
dealing and murder may not get the compassionate release he's been seeking
for years. But
there is absolutely no way the judge can use the latest allegation the
government has come up with as a reason to keep him locked up, his attorney
argued in a court filing last week.
