Surviving the Mob - Dennis Griffin [6]
“When I left the social club that day, I was officially part of Nicky’s crew. I was an associate of the Gambino organized-crime family.”
NICKY AND LENNY
Who were these men whom Andrew describes as co-captains of his Gambino family crew? The following is a brief look at their backgrounds and status around the time Andrew became affiliated with them.
Nicholas “Nicky” Corozzo was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 17, 1940. His brother Joseph “Jo Jo” Corozzo joined Nick in his affiliation with the Gambino family and rose to be the criminal organization’s consigliere. Nicky’s son-in-law, Vincent Dragonetti, also reputedly became a Gambino associate. And his nephew, Joseph Corozzo Jr., later became involved with the family as a high-profile defense attorney. In the early 1980s, Nick was a chief rival to John Gotti and the two men despised each other. The politics of the situation prevented Nick’s official advancement to capo.
Lenny DiMaria was a year younger than Nicky. The close friends shared the leadership of a Gambino street crew as unofficial capos. In 1981 Lenny was arrested on federal charges of possession of contraband cigarettes. Convicted at trial, he was sentenced to serve 10 years in a federal prison. However, he remained free pending an appeal.
The case was argued in the Second Circuit on November 23, 1983, and decided on February 6, 1984. The conviction was affirmed and Lenny had to surrender and begin serving his sentence. Thus, for most of Andrew’s time with the crew, he was under the control of Nicky Corozzo.
Andrew believes Lenny’s forced absence from the crew had an adverse affect on his life.
“Lenny was approachable. He was down to earth. You could talk to him about personal things, like if you were having trouble at home. But Nicky wasn’t like that. He was in gangster mode all the time. Everything had to be done according to protocol. You had to be very careful of what you said to him. He sometimes took things you told him as signs of weakness. And Nicky didn’t want any weak members in his crew.
“Lenny was popular with guys from other crews, but a lot of them didn’t like Nicky. Even while he was in prison, guys asked me what we heard from Lenny and how he was doing. They only asked about Nicky as an afterthought. Lenny was much more personable, no doubt about it.”
4
Up and Coming
After becoming a member of Nick Corozzo’s crew, Andrew refocused on enhancing his budding criminal career.
He knew that stealing cars to sell whole or as parts could be a lucrative business. He also knew that in order to get started, the thieves needed enough space to operate and the skill to dismantle multiple brands of vehicles. Equally important, they had to know what vehicles and parts were in demand and how much money they would bring. And it was critical to have a client base to assure the rapid turnover of inventory.
Andrew decided to take advantage of his newfound connections to get his education in the car-stealing business from an accomplished professional.
“I figured I might as well learn from the best, so I hooked up with an older guy named Anthony Gerbino. Anthony’s street name was Beansy and he was affiliated with the Gambino’s Roy DeMeo crew. At the time they ran the biggest stolen car ring in the country. Anthony and I quickly developed a teacher-and-student relationship and became fast friends in spite of the age difference.”
It was the right choice for Andrew. He learned quickly and by mid-1983, the 17-year-old had become one of the premier car thieves in New York City.
THE CAR BUSINESSES
In the parlance of Andrew DiDonato and Anthony Gerbino, “drop-off” meant the delivery of a vehicle that had been ordered by a customer. Automobile junk yards and body shops were on their list of clients, as well as