Joseph Armone
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Piney" Armone was a gangster
in the Gambino crime family
from 1986 to 1990.
, a Gambino soldier. Armone married Josephine DiQuarto and was the father of two children. Josephine is a relative of Genovese crime family
capo Dominick DiQuarto. A devoted family man, Joe Armone stayed away from mistresses and often took his wife out for dinner. Armone lived in Brooklyn
.
Armone wore thick glasses and had an arthritic
limp in his leg from an ancient gunshot wound. Armone rarely cursed; his speech, while not grammatical, had a high-flown formality once described as "Mob Shakespearean". He believed in omerta
, the Cosa Nostra
code of silence, was straightforward and direct, and highly trusted in mob circles. Armone was also respectful and polite to any Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) agents he encountered. Armone's arrest record included robbery, felonious assault, homicide, and narcotics violations.
allegedly picked Armone and two other family mobsters to assassinate family boss Albert "Mad Hatter" Anastasia
. However, before the attack could take place, Armone was arrested on a narcotics charge and sent to jail. Biondo allegedly replaced Armone with his brother Stephen and the hitmen killed Anastasia. However, other accounts suggest that Profaci crime family capo Joseph Gallo
and his crew members were responsible for the Anastasia murder.
In May 1965, Armone and Grammauta were convicted of smuggling heroin from France
to the United States from 1956 through 1965 as part of the French Connection
case. The two mobsters transported the narcotics using seamen, businessmen, and even a diplomat as drug couriers. In July 1965, Armone was sentenced to 15 years in prison. After serving ten years, Armone was released. When mobster Paul Castellano
became family boss, he promoted Armone to caporegime
.
in the Castellano assassination and Gotti's subsequent takeover of the Gambino family. In January 1986, Gotti appointed Armone as his new underboss. Gotti then sent Armone to Florida
to supervise Gambino activities there.
On December 22, 1987, Armone was convicted in New York on charges of racketeering conspiracy involving extortion, bribery and illegal interstate travel to commit bribery. The bribery charge involved a plot from 1981 to 1982 to bribe a government official $20,000 to transfer the son of Gambino mobster Joseph N. Gallo
from a New York state prison to a federal prison
. The judge offered Armone release on bail until sentencing so long as Armone renounced his ties to the Gambino family. Armone refused and was sent to jail. On February 22, 1988, Armone was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison and was fined $820,000. On September 24, 1988, in a separate case, Armone was convicted in Florida of extortion, loansharking, and racketeering in Broward County
On February 23, 1992, Armone died in prison of natural causes. He was buried in the Cemetery of the Resurrection in Staten Island, New York.
Gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
in the 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...
from 1986 to 1990.
Biography
Born on the Upper East Side, Manhattan, Armone earned his nickname "Piney" in the 1930s by extorting money from Christmas tree vendors. He was the younger brother of mobster Stephen ArmoneStephen Armone
Stephen Armone , also known as "14th Street Steve", was a New York gangster with the Gambino crime family who ran gambling operations in Lower Manhattan. He was the older brother of Gambino capo Joseph Armone. Armone moved to the United States with his family to Queens...
, a Gambino soldier. Armone married Josephine DiQuarto and was the father of two children. Josephine is a relative of Genovese crime family
Genovese crime family
The Genovese 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 Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
capo Dominick DiQuarto. A devoted family man, Joe Armone stayed away from mistresses and often took his wife out for dinner. Armone lived in 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...
.
Armone wore thick glasses and had an arthritic
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
limp in his leg from an ancient gunshot wound. Armone rarely cursed; his speech, while not grammatical, had a high-flown formality once described as "Mob Shakespearean". He believed in omerta
Omertà
Omertà is a popular attitude and code of honour and a common definition is the "code of silence". It is common in areas of southern Italy, such as Sicily, Apulia, Calabria, and Campania, where criminal organizations defined as Mafia such as the Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta, Sacra Corona Unita, and...
, the Cosa Nostra
American Mafia
The American Mafia , is an Italian-American criminal society. Much like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia has no formal name and is a secret criminal society. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra or by its English translation "our thing"...
code of silence, was straightforward and direct, and highly trusted in mob circles. Armone was also respectful and polite to any Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI) agents he encountered. Armone's arrest record included robbery, felonious assault, homicide, and narcotics violations.
Early criminal career
In 1957, underboss Joseph BiondoJoseph Biondo
Joseph Biondo , also known as "Joe Bandy", "Joe the Blonde", and "Little Rabbit", was a New York mobster with the Gambino crime family who was heavily involved in gambling activities. Biondo was also the family underboss for approximately eight years.-Career:Born in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto in...
allegedly picked Armone and two other family mobsters to assassinate family boss Albert "Mad Hatter" Anastasia
Albert Anastasia
Albert Anastasia was boss of what is now called the Gambino crime family, one of New York City's Five Families, from 1951-1957. He also ran a gang of contract killers called Murder Inc. which enforced the decisions of the Commission, the ruling council of the American Mafia...
. However, before the attack could take place, Armone was arrested on a narcotics charge and sent to jail. Biondo allegedly replaced Armone with his brother Stephen and the hitmen killed Anastasia. However, other accounts suggest that Profaci crime family capo Joseph Gallo
Joseph Gallo
Joseph Gallo may refer to:*Joseph Edward Gallo, cheese producer, brother of winemakers Ernest and Julio Gallo*Joseph N. Gallo, American gangster, consigliere of the Gambino crime family...
and his crew members were responsible for the Anastasia murder.
In May 1965, Armone and Grammauta were convicted of smuggling heroin from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to the United States from 1956 through 1965 as part of the French Connection
French Connection
The French Connection was a scheme through which heroin was smuggled from Turkey to France and then to the United States. The operation reached its peak in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when it provided the vast majority of the illicit heroin used in the United States...
case. The two mobsters transported the narcotics using seamen, businessmen, and even a diplomat as drug couriers. In July 1965, Armone was sentenced to 15 years in prison. After serving ten years, Armone was released. When mobster Paul Castellano
Paul Castellano
Constantino Paul "Big Paul" Castellano , also known as "The Howard Hughes of the Mob" and "Big Paulie" , was an American Mafia boss in New York City. He succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family, at the time, the nation's largest Mafia family...
became family boss, he promoted Armone to caporegime
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
.
Gotti era
In 1985, Armone assisted Gambino capo John GottiJohn 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 the Castellano assassination and Gotti's subsequent takeover of the Gambino family. In January 1986, Gotti appointed Armone as his new underboss. Gotti then sent Armone to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
to supervise Gambino activities there.
On December 22, 1987, Armone was convicted in New York on charges of racketeering conspiracy involving extortion, bribery and illegal interstate travel to commit bribery. The bribery charge involved a plot from 1981 to 1982 to bribe a government official $20,000 to transfer the son of Gambino mobster Joseph N. Gallo
Joseph N. Gallo
Giuseppe “Uno-Punzone” Nicholas Gallo, Jr. also known as Joseph Nicholas Gallo was a New York mobster, who allegedly became consigliere of the Gambino crime family.-Biography:He was born on January 8, 1912...
from a New York state prison to a federal prison
Federal prison
Federal prisons are run by national governments in countries where subdivisions of the country also operate prisons.In the United States federal prisons are operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In Canada the Correctional Service of Canada operates federal prisons. Prison sentences in these...
. The judge offered Armone release on bail until sentencing so long as Armone renounced his ties to the Gambino family. Armone refused and was sent to jail. On February 22, 1988, Armone was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison and was fined $820,000. On September 24, 1988, in a separate case, Armone was convicted in Florida of extortion, loansharking, and racketeering in Broward County
On February 23, 1992, Armone died in prison of natural causes. He was buried in the Cemetery of the Resurrection in Staten Island, New York.
In popular culture
- In the 2001 television movie Boss of Bosses, Joe Armone is portrayed as "Piney Armone" by actor Mark MargolisMark MargolisMark Margolis is an American actor who has been making films since 1976.Margolis went to Temple University briefly before moving to New York City, where he studied drama with Stella Adler and at the Actors Studio...
. - Armone is portrayed by Dominic ChianeseDominic ChianeseDominic Chianese is an American film, television and theatre actor, perhaps best known for his role as Corrado "Junior" Soprano on the HBO TV series, The Sopranos.-Early life:...
in the 1996 TV film Gotti.
Further reading
- O'Brien, Joseph F., and Kurins, Andris, Boss of Bosses: The Fall of the Godfather: The FBI and Paul Castellano, Pocket Books (1993) ISBN 0671715410
- Bureau of Narcotics, U.S. Treasury Department, "Mafia: the Government's Secret File on Organized Crime, HarperCollins Publishers 2007 ISBN 0-06-136385-5