Stephen Armone
Stephen Armone | |
|---|---|
| Born | Stefano Armone November 17, 1899 Mobster |
| Relatives | Joseph Armone (brother) |
| Allegiance | Gambino crime family |
Stephen Armone (November 17, 1899 – 1960), also known as "14th Street Steve", was an Italian-American
mobster with the Gambino crime family of New York City who ran gambling operations in Lower Manhattan and was involved in the "French Connection" heroin smuggling network. He was the older brother of Gambino capo Joseph "Joe Piney" Armone
.
Criminal career
Armone was born in
13th Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, he was a prominent Mafioso in the 14th Street area and was known by the nickname "14th Street Steve".[1] A small-statured man with black-gray hair, Armone limped due to a previous hip fracture. His arrest record included assault and battery with intent to kill, burglary, and narcotics laws violations. Armone was a leader of Gambino operations in the Lower East Side. He also engaged in large-scale narcotics smuggling and distribution.[2]
Following the end of
Bahamas. Using a fleet of small boats, the smuggling ring started in 1940, but stopped in 1941 due to World War II.[3] Due to the difficulty of obtaining heroin from overseas during wartime, Armone and Eugene Tramaglino started buying Mexican opium in California in 1942, transporting it to New York City and converting it to heroin.[1]
In 1957, Armone allegedly participated in the assassination of family boss
Luciano crime family capo Vito Genovese had been plotting to assume power in their respective families. Gambino capo Joseph Biondo selected Armone to head a hit squad that included family heroin dealers Stephen Grammauta and Arnold Wittenburg.[4] On October 25, 1957, Armone and his hit squad ambushed Anastasia at a Manhattan hotel barber shop. While Anastasia was in the chair having a shave and haircut, his bodyguards disappeared. The hit squad entered the shop and shot him to death.[5][6]
Armone died in 1960, and his younger brother Joseph "Joe Piney" Armone succeeded him as overseer of the Gambino heroin operations.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Joe Piney: From E. 14th St. to French Connection Thomas F. Comiskey, The Village Voice (December 29, 2020) Archived December 3, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 0-06-136385-5
- ^ "17 Indicted in Plot to Smuggle Dope". New York Times. September 6, 1944. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ NY Times Answers about the New York Mafia October 8, 2008 http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/answers-about-the-new-york-mafia/?scp=2&sq=Stephen%20Armone&st=cse
- ^ "lacndb.com::American Mafia". www.lacndb.com. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
- ^ "Mob boss Albert Anastasia murdered... - RareNewspapers.com". www.rarenewspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
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