Anthony C. Strollo (June 18, 1899-April 8, 1962?), also known under his alias "Tony Bender", was a New York mobster who served as a high ranking member in three of New York's "Five Families". June 18 is the 169th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (170th in leap years), with 196 days remaining. ... 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... The Five Families are the major crime families of the Italian-American Mafia based in New York City which have dominated traditional organized crime in New York. ...

Born in New York City, New York, Strollo grew up on Monroe Street near the Manhattan Bridge. During Prohibition, Strollo gained a formidable reputation becoming involved in bootlegging and murder for hire before working for Giuseppe Masseria in the early 1930s. However, as the Castellammarese War heated up, Bender would defect to Salvatore Maranzano where he would become acquainted with Maranzano lieutenant Charles "Lucky" Luciano. New York, New York redirects here. ... The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn. ... This article is about the prohibition of alcoholic beverages; separate articles on the prohibition of drugs in general and writs of prohibition are also available. ... REDIRCT:Joe Masseria ... The Castellammarese War is the name given to a bloody internal power struggle between two factions of Italian-American mafia figures that took place in 1930 and 1931. ... Salvatore Maranzano (1868-1931) Salvatore Maranzano (1868-September 10, 1931) was an organized crime figure from the town of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, and an early Mafia boss in the United States. ... Charles Luciano (11 November 1896_ 26 January 1962), better known as Lucky Luciano, was a legendary mobster with a long criminal history. ...

Following the death of Maranzano and the formation of the National Crime Syndicate, Bender would assume control illegal gambling operations in New York's Greenwich Village as a lieutenant of Luciano. It was during this time, suspicious of rival Michael "Little Apples" Reggione growing influence, that he ordered Reggione's death and, on November 25, 1932, hitmen Joe Valachi and Peter Maione shot and killed Reggione with three gunshots to the head. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Washington Square Arch Greenwich Village (pronounced Grennich Village; also called simply the Village) is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern) Manhattan in New York City. ... November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... Joseph Valachi Joseph Joe Cargo Valachi (September 22, 1903 – April 3, 1971) was the first Mafia member to publicly acknowledge the existence of the Mafia. ...

Shortly after Luciano's deportation in 1935, Strollo became an Underboss to Frank Costello and successfully operated a string of Greenwich Village nightclubs including the popular Black Cat, the Hollywood, the 19th Hole and the Village Inn prior to WWII. Frank Costello (January 21, 1891 - February 18, 1973) was an Italian-American gangster who was one of the most powerful and influential Mafia bosses in American history. ... The black cat in a fighting stance is a historically important anarchist symbol. ... ... Village Inn is a casual dining restaurant chain in the United States. ... German soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad World War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the worlds nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. ...

After Costello was removed from leadership, Strollo oversaw drug trafficking operations for the Genovese crime family following Vito Genovese return from a seven year exile in Italy. The Genovese crime family is one of the Five Families that controls organized crime activities in New York City, USA, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or Cosa Nostra). ... Prison mugshot of Vito Genovese, taken shortly before his death of natural causes. ...

In the early 1950s, Strollo would order the deaths of Eugenio Giannini, killed by Joe Valachi, Fiore Siano, Joseph and Pasquale Pagano in East Harlem on September 20, 1952 and suspected police informant Stephen Franse who was strangled to death in Joe Valachi's Greenwich Village nightclub the Lido on June 19, 1953. Joseph Valachi Joseph Joe Cargo Valachi (September 22, 1903 – April 3, 1971) was the first Mafia member to publicly acknowledge the existence of the Mafia. ...

Strollo would continue to run Genovese drug trafficking operations until disappearing from his residence in Fort Lee, New Jersey on April 8, 1962. Joe Valachi would later testify Strollo has most likely been killed and his body disposed of, possibly on the orders of Vito Genovese. Map highlighting Fort Lees location within Bergen County. ...

Further reading

• Kwitny, Jonathan. Vicious Circles: The Mafia in the Marketplace. New York: W.W. Norton, 1979.
• Winter-Berger, Robert N. The Washington Pay-Off: An Insider's View of Corruption in Government. New York: Dell Publishing, 1972.

References

• Nash, Jay Robert. Encyclopedia of World Crime (S-Z) Vol. IV, CrimeBooks Inc., Wilmette, 1990. ISBN 0-923582-00-2
• Nash, Jay Robert. World Encyclopedia of Organized Crime, Da Capo Press: New York, 1992. ISBN 0-306-80535-9

Jay Robert Nash is a prolific American author of more than seventy books on myriad aspects of true crime. ... Jay Robert Nash is a prolific American author of more than seventy books on myriad aspects of true crime. ...

External links

• Dying of the Light: The Joe Valachi Story – Chapter 7: The Trouble with Tony by Thomas L. Jones at CrimeLibrary.com
• Genovese Crime Family - Power line from Boss to soldier: Historical Power line of the family