Greek-American criminal organization
Criminal organization
Velentzas Organization
Founded by
| Peter "Pete the Greek" Kourakos
[1]
|
---|
Named after
| Spyredon "Spiro the Greek" Velentzas
[1]
|
---|
Founding location
| New York City
|
---|
Years active
| 1950s-present
|
---|
Territory
| Astoria, Queens
and
New York City
|
---|
Ethnicity
| Greeks
as "made members", other ethnicities, mainly
Italians
and
Albanians
as associates
|
---|
Membership
(est.)
| 30
[2]
(1992)
|
---|
Leader(s)
| Spyredon Velentzas, Peter Kourakos, Fotios Dimopoulos
|
---|
Criminal activities
| Racketeering
,
loansharking
,
extortion
, and
gambling
|
---|
Allies
| Lucchese crime family
,
Philadelphia Greek Mob
|
---|
Rivals
| Rudaj Organization
,
Gambino crime family
|
---|
The
Velentzas Organization
, also known as the
Velentzas crime family
, or the
Greek crew
is a
Greek-American
criminal organization operating in the
New York City
area.
[1]
During the 1980s, into the early 1990s, the Greek organization controlled a number of illegal gambling operations in and around the New York City area. After the organization's leader, Spyredon "Spiro the Greek" Velentzas was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison in 1992, the organization gradually declined in power.
Spiro the Greek
[
edit
]
The group originated from the
Kourakos clan,
a Greek criminal organization led by
Maniot Greek
Peter Kourakos.
In the 1980s, under the leadership of Spyredon "Spiro" Velentzas (also known as Spyridon), the organization rose to prominence controlling a number of illegal gambling operations in the New York City area. The Greek organization operated from the Greek American neighborhood of
Astoria
,
Queens
. In the late 1980s, the group grew to over 30 members and had gained more territory in Queens and
Brooklyn
by taking over more illegal gambling rackets, dice games and horse-racing parlors.
[2]
Velentzas maintained a close working relationship with
Lucchese crime family
's Consigliere
Christopher "Christie Tick" Furnari
.
[2]
[3]
The Lucchese family provided protection to the Greeks, and received a portion of their gambling profits.
[4]
[5]
[6]
Velentzas and his Greek crew attempted to expand their illegal gambling rackets further, but were met with resistance by the
Gambino crime family
. The FBI caught on wiretaps Gambino family boss
John Gotti
threatening to have Spiro killed for moving into the gambling territory controlled by the Gambino family.
[3]
Velentzas imprisonment
[
edit
]
On June 20, 1992, Velentzas was found guilty of murder, loan sharking, gambling, and tax fraud charges, while being found not guilty on one murder charge.
[2]
[7]
Velentzas was later found guilty, for the murder of Sarecho "Sammy the Arab" Nalo and was sentenced to life in prison.
[1]
Former Lucchese family capo
Peter "Fat Pete" Chiodo
, who became a government informant, admitted that he gave the Sarecho Nalo murder contract to Lucchese soldiers Michael "Baldy Mike" Spinelli and
Richie "The Piece" Pagliarulo
.
[3]
Nalo was murdered on October 25, 1988, while on the phone with Velentzas disputing gambling territory when Michael Spinelli shot him.
[3]
In June 2022, the 86-years old Velentzas, still serving life in prison filed a motion for a compassionate release due to health conditions.
[3]
As of September 15, 2023, Velentzas is serving his life sentence at
FCC Allenwood
.
[8]
Two other members of the Velentzas family, Peter Drakoulis and Michael Grillo, were found guilty on several charges. Velentzas' own brother, Dimitrios, was acquitted of his only charge, gambling.
Velentzas died in prison of natural causes on May 4, 2024, aged 88.
[9]
[10]
Against the Rudaj Organization
[
edit
]
By the late 1990s, Fotios Dimopoulos began leading the Greek crew and controlled the gambling operations in Astoria, Queens for the Lucchese family.
[11]
In June 2001, the Albanian
Rudaj Organization
began extorting Fotios Dimopoulos and attacked his associate Antonios Balampanis, an Albanian who spoke Greek in order to take control of gambling rackets in Astoria, Queens.
[4]
[11]
The Rudaj Organization was based in the Bronx and Westchester and supported by the Gambino family.
[11]
On August 3, 2001, Rudaj Organization members Ljusa Nuculovic and five others attacked Dimopoulos's associate Antonios Balampanis who was running a gambling club known as Soccer Fever.
[11]
The Rudaj Organization entered the club attacking the Greek associates of the Lucchese family and beating Balampanis with a pistol, after a Greek member of the Velentzas family and Lucchese associate named Tony had reportedly broken some of their gambling machines.
[11]
Following the attacks, the Rudaj Organization took control of the Greek dice game barbout.
[11]
In 2004, the leaders of the Rudaj Organization including Nuculovic were imprisoned on numerous racketeering charges.
[11]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
Jerry Capeci.
Jerry Capeci's Gang Land.
(pg.170-172)
The Man Gotti Never Got
. October 12, 1994.
[1]
- ^
a
b
c
d
Man Tied to Mafia Guilty on 10 Counts
,
The New York Times
, June 20, 1992. Accessed July 2, 2008.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Burnstein, Scott (10 June 2022).
"The Sammy The Arab Murder: NYC Greek Godfather Ordered Hit On Lucchese Mob Associate……Or Did He?"
. Gangster Report. News Paper
. Retrieved
12 June
2022
.
- ^
a
b
Hartocollis, Anemona (20 December 2005).
"Albanian Gang Portrayed as Aspiring Mafiosi"
.
New York Times
. News Paper
. Retrieved
12 June
2022
.
- ^
Carl Campanile.
Albania 'Mafia' Broken
. October 27, 2004. New York Post.
[2]
- ^
Kareem Fahim and Alan Feuer.
Beating Them at Their Own Game; Albanian Groups Are Muscling Into Mob Land, Officials Say
. January 3, 2006. The New York Times.
[3]
- ^
Lubasch, Arnold H.
Mob Murder Is Recounted By Organizer
,
The New York Times
, May 22, 1992. Accessed July 2, 2008.
- ^
"Spyredon Velentzas"
.
Federal Bureau of Prison
. Retrieved
12 June
2022
.
- ^
Saying Goodbye To “Spiro The Greek”: Astoria, Queens Mourns Death Of Imprisoned Crime Lord, Lucchese Mob Affiliate
Scott Burnstein, GangsterReport.com (May 7, 2024)
- ^
Nick Christophers; Ed Scarpo (18 May 2024).
"Last Of The Greek Crime Dons Of The US Passes Away"
. Cosa Nostra News. News
. Retrieved
19 May
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
United States District Court, S.D. New York.
"U.S. vs Nuculovic S3 04 Cr. 1110 (DLC)"
.
Casetext
. Retrieved
12 June
2022
.
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Bosses
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Current members
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Past members
| Made men
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Associates
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Informants
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Factions and crews
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Family events
| Hearings
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Heists
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Scheme
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Social clubs
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Trials
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Wars
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Detectives
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Relation to other groups
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Families
| Five Families
of
New York City
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East Coast
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Midwestern/Western
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Mostly defunct
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Structure
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Events
| Meetings
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Hearings
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Wars
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Trials
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Closely related
and affiliated
organizations
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Other topics
| Government
operations
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Crimes
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Related articles
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