Velentzas Family
Encyclopedia
The Velentzas crime family is a Greek-American criminal organization operating in the New York City
area. Mostly active in the 1980s and 1990s with illegal gambling. Today the organization is still active in illegal gambling operating with the Lucchese crime family
.
. The Velentzas family mainly operated in the Greek-American neighborhood of Astoria
, Queens
. With over 30 members, the group gained power in other Queens and Brooklyn
neighborhoods in the 1980s and the 1990s by setting up and taking over illegal gambling rackets that included dice games and horse-racing parlors.
, which offered protection in return for a percentage of the gambling profits. The other Mafia families of New York City
have kept out of the Greek business and generally do not see them as a threat. However, there were attempts by some of the family members to expand business into Gambino crime family
territory, but operations ended and receded back to Greek areas after warning from the Gambinos. As one Italian mobster was said to have stated, those "... Greeks know the game so damn good they'd cheat us blind."
On August 3, 2001, members of the Albanian Rudaj Organization
attacked Greek associates of the Lucchese crime family. The brief fight was over controlling gambling rackets in Astoria, Queens. The Rudaj Organization held on to this territory until 2004, when most of the leaders were convicted of racketeering.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
area. Mostly active in the 1980s and 1990s with illegal gambling. Today the organization is still active in illegal gambling operating with the Lucchese crime family
Lucchese crime family
The Lucchese 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 family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
.
Spyredon "Spiros" Velentzas
The group originated from the Kourakos clan, a Maniot-Greek family led by Peter "Pete The Greek" Kourakos. It became a dominant group in the 1980s under Spyredon "Spiros" Velentzas, a Greek mobster who worked with and was aided by the Lucchese crime familyLucchese crime family
The Lucchese 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 family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
. The Velentzas family mainly operated in the Greek-American neighborhood of Astoria
Astoria, Queens
Astoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Located in Community Board 1, Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Sunnyside , and Woodside...
, Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. With over 30 members, the group gained power in other Queens and Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
neighborhoods in the 1980s and the 1990s by setting up and taking over illegal gambling rackets that included dice games and horse-racing parlors.
Arrest
On June 20, 1992, Velentzas, aka "Sakafias," was found guilty of murder, loan sharking, gambling, and tax fraud charges. Along with Velentzas were arrested two other crew members, Peter Drakoulis and Michael Grillo. Velentzas was later sentenced to over 20 years in prison from his charges; however, the jury did not find Velentzas guilty of the murder of a gambling rival, which was ordered by Lucchese. Spyredon was found guilty of murdering Sarecho "Sammy the Arab" Nalo and was convicted to life in prison. Velentzas, now 75-years-old, is currently still serving his life sentence in prison.Speculations on Velentzas gambling
The lucrative horse racing parlors of Spiros Velentzas have been impugned by some as to be using satellite dishes for importing races from all around the world, in order to view them ahead of time in an attempt to cheat customers. Velentzas has denied this allegation.Relations with the crime families in New York City
The Velentzas family has had very good relations with the Lucchese crime familyLucchese crime family
The Lucchese 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 family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
, which offered protection in return for a percentage of the gambling profits. The other Mafia families of New York City
Five Families
The Five Families are the five original Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated organized crime in America since 1931. The Five Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in the United States.-History:...
have kept out of the Greek business and generally do not see them as a threat. However, there were attempts by some of the family members to expand business into Gambino crime family
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...
territory, but operations ended and receded back to Greek areas after warning from the Gambinos. As one Italian mobster was said to have stated, those "... Greeks know the game so damn good they'd cheat us blind."
On August 3, 2001, members of the Albanian Rudaj Organization
Rudaj Organization
The Rudaj Organization was the name given the Albanian mafia in the New York City metro area, so named for the man accused of being its kingpin, Alex Rudaj of Yorktown, New York. The Rudaj Organization, called "The Corporation" by its members, was started in 1993 in Westchester and spread to the...
attacked Greek associates of the Lucchese crime family. The brief fight was over controlling gambling rackets in Astoria, Queens. The Rudaj Organization held on to this territory until 2004, when most of the leaders were convicted of racketeering.