Inside La Joya, he had paid a guard to smuggle in a BlackBerry to talk to his wife, but strangers kept calling with threats to kill his kids unless he paid them. Michael Galeota, who starred on the Disney Channel's "The Jersey" died Sunday, according to Variety. And like the Italian-American crooner, he loved women a little too much. The heavy-set Italian even signed a release. Prosecutors say police never filed the necessary paperwork. When he discovered he was about to be subpoenaed, he withdrew $2,500 from the bank and boarded a two-week Caribbean cruise. "I lived it up in Miami," he says. And twice they had given up. Galeota is no angelic Andy Dufresne, the main character in Shawshank who serves two decades behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. "I lived it up in Miami," he says. He was talking to Fainberg about a murder he'd witnessed in Porky's parking lot. But killings are common in Panama's worst prison, where the smell of raw sewage wafts over the yard, metal shackles hang from moldy staircases, and overcrowded cells house nearly 3,500 of the Western Hemisphere's vilest murderers, rapists, and drug traffickers. Documentary Drama When Miami mobster Tony Galeota opens a club in Panama City, the competition frames him for drug dealing and human trafficking. "But she's never going to forget. This story has been shared 173,716 times. He was, after all, working with an American playboy in Miami and a fugitive Cuban spy to procure this submarine. His attorney has warned him that prosecutors will likely appeal, so he plans to stay in Panama until his case is resolved. Everybody wanted to make money. In the meantime, he's spending time with his wife and kids. But the men kept in touch as Russell pursued other projects, with Tarzan sending random messages such as Christmas greetings until he finally sent the email the filmmaker had been awaiting (although he couldnt have guessed the other crazy details in the communication. While Kristy was still in the States, he lived with five of his Colombian prostitutes. Sixteen months later, the two men have yet to appear in court. Michael Galeota, who starred on the Disney Channel's "The Jersey" died Sunday, according to Variety. See Photos. "Miami is a place where I would love to live," he pronounced, "and where I would love to die." The irony is not lost on Galeota that after a life of crime in Miami, he was arrested in Panama just as he was going legit. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. He called me in two days and he asked me, do we want the submarine with missiles or without missiles? says Tarzan. But when the house of cards tumbles, John . By the mid-'90s, Galeota had turned Porky's into a one-stop shop for strippers, sex, and serious drugs. "They would describe what they looked like," Galeota says. When Galeota arrived in Miami in the summer of 1991, the city was awash in coke, crack, and drug cash. The person they were going to pay for the submarine was the officer who let them [into the naval base], says Russell. His father, Arnold, was a strait-laced sales manager but a distant and disapproving dad. 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. Tony Gogetta. Galeota is not exactly repentant. "They shot him in the middle of the night," Galeota continues quietly, "and buried his body behind the pavilion.". He was 31. He headed right to his beloved Miami, Florida. Miami mobster Tony Galeota is locked up in Panama after being framed for drug dealing and human trafficking. It continued at another local strip club, called Quarterbacks Playmates Lounge. Two days later, he was transferred to La Joya a hellish cinder-block complex an hour outside of Panama City. As the authorities closed in, they picked up Juan and Tarzan, but they couldnt find Tony and neither could the cartel. But Galeota was convinced the cops were bluffing and refused to cooperate. "Whenever there is an American businessman involved in crime here in Panama, it becomes an important case. "This case has had a big impact here," says Jos Otero, a reporter for Panamanian newspaper La Prensa. "A family type thing, like an ale house with wings and beer," he says. "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. Photo Gallery. She is cute and curvy with dark hair and a button nose. So looking back on it and all the hijinks, from being smuggled in to a Panamanian prison to crossing paths with the FSB in Moscow to being met in a Porsche Cayenne by Tony Yester and driving away thinking: Okay, the CIA, DEA, FBI and US Marshals have been looking for this guy for 25 years, and Im in his car by myself with no notion of where were going or when were coming back. In retrospect, its like, Im a moron, but at the time I was full-throttle chase the story., Of the finished product Operation Odessa, he says: Hopefully, its a rocknroll thrill ride into the underworld, where you get a passport to a life and lifestyle and characters that you didnt even imagine existed much less having a ringside seat with them., The comments below have not been moderated, By Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida "Thank God I'm out," he tells New Times in his first interview since his release. People named Toni Galeota Find your friends on Facebook Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. 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. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. "It's not an easy choice," she says. Back in South Florida, Kristy Galeota vacillates between outrage and empathy for her husband. His name was Tony Galeota, he said, and he had run Porky's for 18 years before being locked up in Panama's worst prison for a crime he didn't commit. Galeota has seen several murders. She's forgiven me, for the most part. 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 instead of classical music, his specialty is sex. Moreover, trafficking prostitutes and drugs and involvement in organized crime are some serious charges.". In the meantime, he's spending time with his wife and kids. A tattoo of an Italian Mafioso emerges from an extra-large sleeveless T-shirt. "The first month, we had $15,000 in gross sales. At night, the guards lock the gate and leave, turning over control of each cell block to prisoners. ", "You hear that?" Has a stint in Panamanian prison reformed Miami's most notorious strip club manager? Miami's independent source of But he insists that, for once, he has done nothing wrong. All the services here are free. "No one can tell us how long he will be in there," she says. Panamanian police had been casing the Doll House, Moulin Rouge, and another joint, called Havana Club, for weeks. Tony Goleta. But Galeota's plan would soon go catastrophically wrong. The Doll House couldn't expand fast enough to meet the influx of sex tourists. "She hasn't worked for 15 years. "They murdered a guy in here a couple of days ago," Tony Galeota says. "These guys were into just about everything," Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana Fernandez said at the time. I know its gonna be a strange question. Log In. But Tony had darker secrets. They tried to squeeze Fainberg to get Seidle. Director Tiller Russell tells DailyMail.com that hed heard rumblings and rumors about the insane deal, but it was about seven years ago when he first got a concrete lead about Tarzan and his cronies. Indeed, court records show that Seidle was a target of the federal wiretapping investigation. "That's obstruction of justice.". 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. This is a guy that the FBI went after for years but could never get him. Anthony Galeota was born October 17, 1968, on Long Island. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, running Miami's most infamous strip club, Porky's, Tony Galeota: From Running Porky's, Miami's Most Notorious Strip Joint, to Rotting in a Panamanian Jail, Sex and Drugs in the Champagne Room: The Truth About Porky's and Other Miami Strip Clubs. A tattoo of an Italian Mafioso emerges from an extra-large sleeveless T-shirt. "Anthony has been in jail for more than 15 months, and a judge hasn't even heard his case yet!" Instead, they eat rice for lunch and dinner, drink dirty river water, and use a hole in the ground for a toilet. Police repeatedly raided the club, yet Galeota escaped unscathed every time. But the Doll House and Moulin Rouge remain closed. His father, Arnold, was a strait-laced sales manager but a distant and disapproving dad. Galeota was hit with felony drug and prostitution charges. Sign Up. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. Facilitating it. As for Yester taking a flier with the cartel money, Tarzan says he would have done the same himself if he could have and expresses no hard feelings. "It was a real moneymaker. That didnt stop Russell from trying to get them on board with doing a film about the submarine deal. View Tony Galeota's 1940 US census record to find family members, occupation details & more. He offered protection and gave Galeota $200. The fear was well founded, considering what went down when Tarzan linked up with Cuban outlaws Juan Almeida and Nelson Tony Yester. Fainberg allegedly told undercover cops he had sent coke to Russia in a shipment of frozen shrimp and had bought six $1 million Russian military helicopters for the South Americans. "She would use shoe polish to change our driver's licenses so we could go to clubs and drink when we were 15. "We went there and we couldn't believe what we saw," says Josh Weiss, a former DJ at Porky's and one of Galeota's closest friends. We've been here for two years!' We break down the best movies and series to watch in November in theaters and streaming. But his mind was on another kind of riches. So if you wanna do it, the time is now, and essentially, its happening one way or another, so you might be the person to author your story. He knew that the owners of a local strip club called Moulin Rouge David Fridman and Jake Lita (an Israeli wanted by German police on human-trafficking charges) had a business offer for the duo. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. If only there were a place where prostitution was legal, he thought, a city full of beautiful women like Miami, but no rules. 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. We have a lot of laughs about it now," he says. But instead of classical music, his specialty is sex. Jimmy Galeota has spent the last month-and-a-half grieving his older brother Michael's death - but perhaps the most difficult part of it all to swallow has been the bizarre circumstances that. And she launched drunken tirades at Tony after baseball games, no matter how well the all-star shortstop performed. Get started U.S. Yearbooks Name Index, 1890-1979. Tony Kaleta. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Moment teenager crashes into back of lorry after 100mph police race, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Ukrainian soldier takes out five tanks with Javelin missiles. All the main players involved appear on camera and share their stories, including law enforcement, from which the documentary takes its name; Operation Odessa was formed as a joint task force in the 1990s as American authorities worried that Colombian cartels would join together with Russian organized crime to pair drug money with Soviet military hardware. Everything here has a cost.". He faced nine years in prison, but because he provided evidence against Almeida, he served just three years before being deported to his adopted homeland of Israel. When he was 16, he knocked up his 15-year-old girlfriend at Hauppauge High School. "They shot him in the middle of the night," Galeota continues quietly, "and buried his body behind the pavilion.". "I don't care how strong you are; that's going to affect your marriage," she says. He was very serious and said he would look into it. 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. He soon finds himself wanting to be a mobster, and starts running errands for them. Its Colombian dancers were in Panama on six-month tourist visas, weren't licensed as prostitutes, and weren't getting required weekly health checkups. Theyre nice guys [the cartel members], and I didnt ask what they needed the submarine for., If they woke up and were hungry, they would fly a private jet to Cancun for lunch, says Tiller Russell, director of Operation Odessa. Then theyd roll to Venezuela to check out a new casino. Seidle was never charged with a crime. According to Yester, the cartel provided an initial payment of $10 million. "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. "Now I'm living in hell.". Anthony Galeota (right) poses with Ludwig "Tarzan" Fainberg inside the Doll House weeks before their arrest. He ogled the women standing on corners in their underwear and high heels. 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? Its our mission down there besides search and rescue. Filthy and crowded cell block of La Joya Prison, Panama. His mother, Bonnie Gellilti, was "a bit of a criminal," Tony remembers. ", Tony Galeota and fellow defendant Alon "Tarzan" Bar during better days in their Panama club The Doll House, After bribing half the guards at La Joya, Galeota was taken to an immigration holding center in Panama City where he and four co-defendants were kept for four more days. or. 8:00AM. source of local news and culture, Michael E. Miller "She would use shoe polish to change our driver's licenses so we could go to clubs and drink when we were 15. "She would use shoe polish to change our driver's licenses so we could go to clubs and drink when we were 15. Anywhere other than La Joya, this news would be shocking. A tattoo of an Italian Mafioso emerges from an extra-large sleeveless T-shirt. 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. This story has been shared 121,048 times. "If you like to eat chocolate and you live in a chocolate factory, you're going to eat chocolate," he says. Galeota is no angelic Andy Dufresne, the main character in Shawshank who serves two decades behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. 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. He was soon promoted from DJing weddings to robbing delivery trucks for the Paccione clan (which federal court records tie to the infamous Gambino crime family). He left, but returned with a gun. The Coast Guard said four suspected smugglers were taken into custody and 32 bales of cocaine were found in the water. Unfortunately, Galeota's defense isn't as simple as quoting strippers, says his lawyer, Guillermina McDonald. 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. There is no rehabilitation here," he says. local news and culture, Michael E. Miller Facilitating it. Instead, he's trapped in a labyrinthine legal system, alone and unable to speak Spanish. or. Facebook gives people the power. After that, Kristy closed Bongos. Panama had gone from paradise to purgatory. In hand-painted white lettering, it reads, "Dear visitors. Back in the mid-1990s, if you were a Miami mobster seeking girls, guns, cocaine, the services of an arsonist, or muscle to beat down a deadbeat, Ludwig Tarzan Fainberg was your man. The message was that the cocaine traffickers would kill Yesters family members. 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. Instead, he says competitors pulled government strings to screw him. Even then, however, he couldn't sleep. And, above all, selling it. "But I've always paid for everything, either with stitches in my head, concussions, or jail time. Twice, American authorities had investigated Galeota. "It is with tremendous heartfelt sadness to announce the passing of Michael James Gal Galeota may not be a good man, but he is brutally honest. When his younger brother was molested, he beat the suspected perpetrator to a pulp. If any official asks you to pay for anything, please report them.". 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. 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. The Coast Guard said each one of the kilos is worth $33,000. "When you're in La Joya for two years, you get used to that environment," Galeota says. More than anything, Galeota is grateful that his family kept faith in him. A judge eventually dropped the human trafficking charge, but Galeota still rotted in his sordid cell alongside insects the size of small dogs. Research > Galeota > Tony Galeota. Galeota is one of several Americans locked up here. Tony Galeto. And I'm not asking her to.". I hoped to walk away from the deal with $10 million.. With Fainberg locked up, Porky's was Galeota's plaything. The submarine request, which came from Yester on behalf of the cartel, was not as outrageous as it now sounds. The 43-year-old is shaped like a mini refrigerator: short and squat, with a shaved head and wide-set emerald eyes. "There was no transportation, no cops, no nothing," he says. "We were doing fantastic, but Tarzan got bored and started living the life," Galeota explains. A bartender characterized Porkys as the kind of place where you could get killed. Babushka was so notorious that FBI agents who described Tarzan as a matre d for criminals bugged the booths there. Once they spotted the plane, they changed course which is suspicious for us, said Boatswains Mate 1st Class, Joshua McElhaney with the Coast Guard. Prosecutors charged Galeota and Fainberg with not only drug dealing but also human trafficking. On a crowded balcony overlooking La Joya, Galeota describes the past 16 months as a nightmare. As Shea tried to pull the panties off one of the dancers, he heard police sirens in the distance and bolted. Skip Ancestry main menu Main Menu It was a Foxtrot-class submarine, or Project 641 as the Soviets called it. local news and culture, Michael E. Miller In January 1997, after he dropped his daughter off at school, Tarzan was arrested and hit with a 30-count federal indictment.
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