Eddie Garafola
Encyclopedia
Eddie "Eddie The Chink" Garafola pronounced /dʒəˈniːn ɡəˈrɒfəloʊ (born 1939) is a Gambino crime family
associate who was involved in the construction industry. Garafola was the brother-in-law of former underboss and informant Sammy "The Bull" Gravano
.
Garafola was once described by the New York Post
as "A larger-than-life figure in the construction industry for more than 20 years". In May 1985, Garafola was charged with tax evasion for failing to report income from a New York discotheque that he owned with Gravano. In August 1987, Garafola was indicted for attempting to bribe officials in Bergen, New Jersey to allow the illegal dumping of construction debris from New York. On March 2, 2000, Garafola was charged with racketeering in a classic "Pump and dump
" stock fraud and money laundering
scheme that allegedly cost investors $41 million over a three-year period. Garafola was specifically charged with trying to extort $100,000 from a stockbroker.
Gravano later claimed that Garafola, in a jailhouse visit, suggested both of them cooperate with the government:
In September 1996, Peter Gotti
visited his brother, Gambino boss John Gotti
, in prison. Gotti reportedly told Peter, then acting boss, to have Thomas Carbonara and Garafola kill Gravano. Carbonara and Garafola reportedly made several trips to Arizona
, where the media had revealed Gravano was hiding, to set up a hit. However, Gravano's arrest on drug charges in 2000 ended this venture. On May 22, 2003, Garafola was indicted in New York for plotting to murder Gravano.
In 2004, Garafola pleaded guilty to the murder of his cousin, Edward Garofalo (Garofalo, not Garafola). Garafola was ordered to kill his cousin because the family suspected him of becoming a government witness. On September 6, 2007, Garafola was sentenced to 30 in prison.
As of June 2010, Garafola is imprisoned at the Allenwood Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Eastern Pennsylvania
. His projected release date is November 16, 2028.
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
associate who was involved in the construction industry. Garafola was the brother-in-law of former underboss and informant Sammy "The Bull" Gravano
Sammy Gravano
Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano is a former underboss of the Gambino crime family. He is known as the man who helped bring down John Gotti, the family's boss, by agreeing to become a Federal Bureau of Investigation informant and turn state's evidence.Originally a mobster for the Colombo crime...
.
Garafola was once described by the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
as "A larger-than-life figure in the construction industry for more than 20 years". In May 1985, Garafola was charged with tax evasion for failing to report income from a New York discotheque that he owned with Gravano. In August 1987, Garafola was indicted for attempting to bribe officials in Bergen, New Jersey to allow the illegal dumping of construction debris from New York. On March 2, 2000, Garafola was charged with racketeering in a classic "Pump and dump
Pump and dump
"Pump and dump" is a form of microcap stock fraud that involves artificially inflating the price of an owned stock through false and misleading positive statements, in order to sell the cheaply purchased stock at a higher price....
" stock fraud and money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
scheme that allegedly cost investors $41 million over a three-year period. Garafola was specifically charged with trying to extort $100,000 from a stockbroker.
Gravano later claimed that Garafola, in a jailhouse visit, suggested both of them cooperate with the government:
"It's my whining brother-in-law Eddie, a whining motherf**ker all my life, who puts the idea in my head. He's caused me nothing but trouble with his devious ways, always looking for the angle. A couple of guys in my crew wanted to whack him. You can't trust him, they said. But he's got a big edge with me. His wife is my sister and I ain't ever going to hurt her, even though he's treating her like shit."
In September 1996, Peter Gotti
Peter Gotti
Peter Gotti, also known as "One Eyed Pete", "Petey Boy", "One Eye" , is a New York mobster who is the former boss of the Gambino crime family and the older brother of deceased Gambino boss John Gotti.-Background:...
visited his brother, Gambino boss John Gotti
John Gotti
John Joseph Gotti, Jr was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti grew up in poverty. He and his brothers turned to a life of crime at an early age...
, in prison. Gotti reportedly told Peter, then acting boss, to have Thomas Carbonara and Garafola kill Gravano. Carbonara and Garafola reportedly made several trips to Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, where the media had revealed Gravano was hiding, to set up a hit. However, Gravano's arrest on drug charges in 2000 ended this venture. On May 22, 2003, Garafola was indicted in New York for plotting to murder Gravano.
In 2004, Garafola pleaded guilty to the murder of his cousin, Edward Garofalo (Garofalo, not Garafola). Garafola was ordered to kill his cousin because the family suspected him of becoming a government witness. On September 6, 2007, Garafola was sentenced to 30 in prison.
As of June 2010, Garafola is imprisoned at the Allenwood Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Eastern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. His projected release date is November 16, 2028.
Further reading
- Eppolito, Lou and Bob Drury. Mob: Stories of Death and Betrayal from Organized Crime. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992. ISBN 1-56025-324-X
- Maas, Peter. Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of Life in the Mafia. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997. ISBN 0-06-093096-9
- Milito, Lynda and Reg Potterton. Mafia Wife: My Story of Love, Murder, and Madness. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2004. ISBN 0-06-103216-6