Michael Galeota's Obituary (1984 - 2016) Estes Park Trail-Gazette local Journalism in South Florida. "We went there and we couldn't believe what we saw," says Josh Weiss, a former DJ at Porky's and one of Galeota's closest friends. But Galeota was convinced the cops were bluffing and refused to cooperate. "Whenever there is an American businessman involved in crime here in Panama, it becomes an important case. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. As he contemplates the question, Galeota watches his fellow inmates kick a soccer ball across La Joya's putrid playground. New laws effectively outlaw brothels such as the Doll House, permit or not but if Galeota walks with no convictions, it will surely embarrass officials trying to make it look like they're cleaning up the industry. This story has been shared 121,048 times. If only there were a place where prostitution was legal, he thought, a city full of beautiful women like Miami, but no rules. "The worst part of being in here is being in here for nothing. Tony Galeota, Infamous Miami Strip Club Manager - Miami New Times "Now I'm living in hell.". Tony Galeota: From Running Porky's, Miami's Most Notorious Strip Joint We have a lot of laughs about it now," he says. "We were doing fantastic, but Tarzan got bored and started living the life," Galeota explains. He knew that the owners of a local strip club called Moulin Rouge David Fridman and Jake Lita (an Israeli wanted by German police on human-trafficking charges) had a business offer for the duo. Shea fatally blasted bouncer Richard Jimenez in the face and then opened fire on the dancers, shooting one in the chest and another in the head. While out of sight, he phoned his guy and lied about being in a particular taxi cab. independent local journalism in Miami. He'd already invested in seven apartments in Panama City and rented a storefront on the capital's seediest street, where prostitution was legal. In retrospect, when you tell the stories aloud, its like, Thats insane and you, Tiller, are an insane person for having done that. Its funny; I was just like, this is too good of a story to let go. More at IMDbPro Contact Info: View agent, publicist, legal on IMDbPro. And like the Italian-American crooner, he loved women a little too much. By then, the club's criminal clientele and Fainberg's increasingly lavish lifestyle had raised eyebrows. And there was absolutely no bullshit. It wasn't until he ordered some Italian food and a cold Guinness that he finally felt like he was free. Sheila Flynn For Dailymail.com He is currently being held in Italy. "The investigation was so poorly handled and rushed," says Otero, the journalist. Inmates are fed bread and cheese for breakfast and rice (sometimes beans) for lunch and dinner. Upon seeing 10 thugs rush the vehicle and hijack it with the unsuspecting passenger in back, Yester realized that the remaining cash would not be forthcoming. Instead, they eat rice for lunch and dinner, drink dirty river water, and use a hole in the ground for a toilet. The most audacious plot allegedly hatched in the back of Porky's was to purchase a former Soviet submarine for $5.5 million for a Colombian drug cartel so it could ship cocaine up the coast to California. Family members can also bring them food and clean water, however, and inmates bribe guards to smuggle in additional items. It was apparent they had what appeared to be narcotics and after we did the test they had bales on board of pure cocaine, said Boatswains Mate Omar Castro with the U.S. Coast Guard. But in South Florida, he was once a strip club king. Filthy and crowded cell block of La Joya Prison, Panama. Photo courtesy of Josh Weiss Surrounded by Colombian strippers, Galeota gives a toast during a party at the Doll House. His nightmare began in June of 2011, when police raided his Panama City strip club and arrested him and his Ukrainian partner for trafficking women and selling drugs. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. Almeida, back in Moscow, trying to work out yet another deal and not realizing that this one had already soured, managed to temporarily elude arrest. They arrested 18 suspects, including Galeota, several strippers, and most employees. ), Right about the time my last film was coming out, he emailed me and said, I did a jailbreak from Panama, traveled to Costa Rica, on to Cuba and then got repatriated to Moscow Im ready to do the movie, Russell says. But he insists that, for once, he has done nothing wrong. In the distance, La Cordillera de San Blas cuts through the Panamanian jungle like a serrated knife. independent local journalism in Miami. He was 31. And theyre like, F*** yeah, lets do it. "I wouldn't leave a dog in that prison, let alone my husband.". They are willing to assume the massive risk of getting caught and going to prison for decades, because if they make just one big score they're millionaires. ", Tony Galeota and fellow defendant Alon "Tarzan" Bar during better days in their Panama club The Doll House, After bribing half the guards at La Joya, Galeota was taken to an immigration holding center in Panama City where he and four co-defendants were kept for four more days. Like a concert pianist, Tony Galeota has spent his life honing a single skill since he was a teenager. Miami Mobster Take Down - YouTube source of local news and culture, Michael E. Miller This time, I'm innocent.". Tony Galeta Profiles | Facebook So if you wanna do it, the time is now, and essentially, its happening one way or another, so you might be the person to author your story. "But I've always paid for everything, either with stitches in my head, concussions, or jail time. Anthony Galeota was born October 17, 1968, on Long Island. Awards. See Photos. There is no rehabilitation here," he says. When the bartender told Shea it was last call, he became enraged. Galeota is one of several Americans locked up here. We've been here for two years!' Inside, the bar is still littered with half-empty bottles of Chivas Regal. Prosecutors say police never filed the necessary paperwork. For 18 years, Galeota ran Porky's with the same punishing justice he learned from the mob and transformed it into Miami's most notorious whorehouse, where Russian gangsters and Cuban criminals spent millions on sex and drugs. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Explore More. State and local police launched an investigation in February 2009. A tattoo of an Italian Mafioso emerges from an extra-large sleeveless T-shirt. Police repeatedly raided the club, yet Galeota escaped unscathed every time. It had been ten years since U.S. Prostitutes were everywhere at the weddings, and when Tony asked another employee where they came from, the older kid took him to Manhattan's infamous West End. Just not a strip club. MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) The Coast Guard offloaded about $93 million of cocaine Thursday afternoon on Miami Beach. "This case has had a big impact here," says Jos Otero, a reporter for Panamanian newspaper La Prensa. Update information for Tony Galeota . I know its gonna be a strange question. People named Tony Galeota Find your friends on Facebook Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. "But I've always paid for everything, either with stitches in my head, concussions, or jail time. Prostitution was so common at Porky's that the club had fixed places and prices, Galeota says. Prosecutors charged Galeota and Fainberg with not only drug dealing but also human trafficking. More than anything, Galeota is grateful that his family kept faith in him. Cops had made several controlled buys of drugs. We both understand that.". But when the house of cards tumbles, John . Controlling it. MICHAEL GALEOTA OBITUARY. Galeota says the police had already gotten what they wanted: Porky's demise. Inside La Joya, he had paid a guard to smuggle in a BlackBerry to talk to his wife, but strangers kept calling with threats to kill his kids unless he paid them. I definitely want his number and so I began chasing it from there and actually jumped on a plane, went down and smuggled myself into this Panamanian prison to meet with him.. "She would use shoe polish to change our driver's licenses so we could go to clubs and drink when we were 15. Tarzan managed to get light punishment for his 1997 conviction; he rolled over on Almeida and spent 30 months behind bars before being deported to Israel, where his family had immigrated, in 1999. "It was a nightmare in there. In the meantime, he's spending time with his wife and kids. I told Juan, I said, Hey. Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida Its a lot of f- -king paper. When his younger brother was molested, he beat the suspected perpetrator to a pulp. But bloodshed would follow them to Miami. Now the locals want to get rid of guys like Galeota too, as his case has drawn national attention to corruption and human rights abuses. Police repeatedly raided the club, yet Galeota escaped unscathed every time. "Like me, he was a black sheep who could do nothing right.". Galeota saw an opportunity. Controlling it. Tony and Kristy were shocked and out of a job. Juan felt like he had no choice, says Russell. "I've done a lot of shady things in the States," he admits. "I'm used to getting my water from a rain bucket, not hot from the tap." Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Moment teenager crashes into back of lorry after 100mph police race, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Ukrainian soldier takes out five tanks with Javelin missiles. "But I've always paid for everything, either with stitches in my head, concussions, or jail time. She's forgiven me, for the most part. Michael Galeota, who starred on the Disney Channel's "The Jersey" died Sunday, according to Variety. He faced nine years in prison, but because he provided evidence against Almeida, he served just three years before being deported to his adopted homeland of Israel. "Now I'm living in hell.". Bonnie also shoplifted booze to sustain her hard drinking habit. Thanks to a successful appeal, Almeida served only 18 months for his part in the sub caper. Reborn behind bars. And, above all, selling it. His mother, Bonnie Gellilti, was "a bit of a. He called his cartel contacts and arranged to meet them in the pickup area of the Madrid train station. But she insists that her husband's imprisonment has brought them closer. "She would use shoe polish to change our driver's licenses so we could go to clubs and drink when we were 15. But instead of classical music, his specialty is sex. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. Tarzan and one of his partners, 'Fat Tony' Galeota, had opened a strip club in Panama similar to a previous enterprise in Miami called Porky's - but they landed behind bars in Central America.. (Panama passed harsher penalties for human trafficking during Galeota's incarceration, but Galeota can't be prosecuted under laws that weren't in place when he was arrested. Like a concert pianist, Tony Galeota has spent his life honing a single skill since he was a teenager. He was soon promoted from DJing weddings to robbing delivery trucks for the Paccione clan (which federal court records tie to the infamous Gambino crime family). "Anthony has been in jail for more than 15 months, and a judge hasn't even heard his case yet!" Once they spotted the plane, they changed course which is suspicious for us, said Boatswains Mate 1st Class, Joshua McElhaney with the Coast Guard. Bonnie also shoplifted booze to sustain her hard drinking habit. I flew to a little island near St. Petersburg, met with a retired Russian admiral, and he took me to the navy base, says Tarzan. "I just watched Luis blow a guy away," Galeota heard himself say on tape. We did outsmart the FBI, we did outsmart the DEA, we even did outsmart the court, Tarzan says in the film. "He had that guido effect on me," she says. Wrongly imprisoned. ", http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2012-10-04/news/tony-galeota-from-running-porky-s-miami-s-most-notorious-strip-joint-to-rotting-in-a-panamanian-jail/full/. "A family type thing, like an ale house with wings and beer," he says. Then they pushed play on a cassette deck. Tony Galeota Profiles | Facebook The value then triples to $100,000 per kilo at the street level when it's busted down for individual use. "I was just numb.". ", Coast Guard Offloads More Than $93 Million In Cocaine, Miami Beach. But he insists that, for once, he has done nothing wrong. Kristy and his sons hid in a shabby, poorly protected office. His father, Arnold, was a strait-laced sales manager but a distant and disapproving dad. If he didnt give them the information, he was afraid that he would have gotten killed, and he was probably right., In the meantime, Yester may have been too in love with his eight-figure haul to really care and there was ultimately no retribution against his family. The last one locked the door. Then once he sent me this crazy email like, Holy s***! Behind him, 12-foot-high fences topped with spools of barbed wire frame a muddy soccer field. "Their connections were bigger than ours," he says. He called me in two days and he asked me, do we want the submarine with missiles or without missiles? says Tarzan. Toni Galeota Profiles | Facebook When his dad lost his job, Tony paid the bills. Marshals deported Ludwig Fainberg from Miami. Years later, Tarzan again found himself behind bars, this time in Panama; in fact, he was serving time in 2011 when Russell first approached him for the documentary. He could convince you that the sky was green." It's not quite Shawshank Redemption, but when Tony Galeota walked out of a Panama City jail cell May 23, it was still a small serving of justice. I got a piece of the action of every blowjob that my friends got," Galeota says. ", McDonald has succeeded, however, in chipping away at the case, persuading a judge three weeks ago to drop the trafficking charge on a technicality. "I was just numb.". Galeota's sheer size and mob connections are the only things keeping him from getting shivved in the dark. Miami's underworld may still be seedy, but it has outsourced much of its shadiness to nearby Third-World countries such as Panama. We have a lot of laughs about it now," he says. None of them ever appeared in the newspapers, but Hialeah police records confirm there were at least ten shootings at Porky's during Galeota's tenure. Juan, Tarzan and law enforcement insisted there was no way hed agree to participate in the documentary. But he insists that, for once, he has done nothing wrong. Tony was a tough, muscular little shit back then. Fainberg allegedly told undercover cops he had sent coke to Russia in a shipment of frozen shrimp and had bought six $1 million Russian military helicopters for the South Americans. But the story of how the documentary got made is nearly as crazy as the caper plot itself. In hand-painted white lettering, it reads, "Dear visitors. And so from there, Juan showed up in Moscow with a vague, half-assed agreement with Tarzan he still had gotten me to come there without agreeing to be in the film, and he put me through the paces of taking me to the sauna and sort of took me on this insane kind of underworld tour of Moscow. In the distance, La Cordillera de San Blas cuts through the Panamanian jungle like a serrated knife.
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