"I've done a lot of shady things in the States," he admits. Photo courtesy of Josh Weiss A prisoner poses with a gun smuggled into La Joya with help from guards. Again, the charges were dropped. Sixteen months later, the two men have yet to appear in court. I hoped to walk away from the deal with $10 million.. ", McDonald has succeeded, however, in chipping away at the case, persuading a judge three weeks ago to drop the trafficking charge on a technicality. "We were like: 'We want to get the fuck out of here. For the most part, Doll House dancers agree. When Bill Seidle died, Galeota knew the club's days were numbered. ), 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. Born on June 3, 1924 at Hartford. The goods came from sources in the freshly fallen Soviet Union, a place where everything seemed to be up for grabs at ridiculously low prices. See Photos. Now the stranger-than-fiction story is brought to life in new documentary Operation Odessa, a film thats closer to a roller-coaster ride than anything else and premieres on Showtime March 31. The dead and dying are piled into wheelbarrows and left by the front gate until guards arrive in the morning. He told them he could get them the submarine for $35million, but said hes need the money in installments; when they gave him the first $10million, he kept the money for himself and disappeared. Marshals deported Ludwig Fainberg from Miami. Galeota is not exactly repentant. He was the one whod been speaking directly to the cartel; he was the only one who knew the real amount of money Cali were willing to pay; and he was the one who took the risk and disappeared with millions of the cartels drug money. 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. S10 E10 - Miami Mobster Take Down Tony Galeota is framed for drug trafficking in Panama City. Tarzan, Almeida and Yester had previously teamed on multimillion-dollar deals for Colombian cocaine barons, snagging motorcycles and Kamov 32 military helicopters (with two rotors and capable of transporting 5,000 kilos of cocaine via hook). All he needed now were the prostitutes. 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. "Now I'm living in hell.". "That's obstruction of justice.". A 28-year-old English teacher named Tim Schrader agrees to smuggle eight kilos of heroin into the U.S. to solve his financial problems. His government protection would evaporate, the Doll House would be raided, his investments would be stolen, and he would be arrested. New Times wrote about Galeota's plight last year ("From Porky's to Hell," October 4, 2012), even visiting him in La Joya prison, a crumbling concrete complex in the jungle where inmates kill each other with impunity. Like a concert pianist, Tony Galeota has spent his life honing a single skill since he was a teenager. Galeota and his "girls" in the Doll House, before the bust. Juan felt like he had no choice, says Russell. "My wife could have left me. Anywhere other than La Joya, this news would be shocking. They also discovered the club was registered as a massage parlor, not a brothel. "I brought in music and women," Galeota says. But Monday morning, when it came time to walk out of La Joya, there was no vehicle waiting. All the services here are free. "Many times, I worried about him getting killed. Thanks to a successful appeal, Almeida served only 18 months for his part in the sub caper. Russian immigrant Ludwig Fainberg, a.k.a. "Now I'm living in hell.". "They shot him in the middle of the night," Galeota continues quietly, "and buried his body behind the pavilion.". Galeota says the police had already gotten what they wanted: Porky's demise. When he was 16, he knocked up his 15-year-old girlfriend at Hauppauge High School. View the profiles of people named Anthony Galeota. The charismatic teenager sold the stolen suits or electronics at strip clubs or used-car lots. View Tony Galeota's 1940 US census record to find family members, occupation details & more. They'd use their connections with immigration officials to obtain visas and prostitution licenses and then give Tarzan and Tony 40 percent of the profits to run a new club, called the Doll House. Tony Galeta. "She would use shoe polish to change our driver's licenses so we could go to clubs and drink when we were 15. Tony Galeota: From Running Porky's, Miami's Most Notorious Strip Joint CAKEGATE 2023: Bad Bunny's Restaurant Accused of Gobbling Birthday Girl's Cake, Neighborhood Nazi Jon Minadeo Peddles Hate by the Minute, Gator Gets in on the Action at Tampa Bay Horse Race, Sen. Rubio's Permanent Daylight Savings Bill Sees Light of Day Once More, NFL Legend Ray Lewis Joins World Jai-Alai League Board of Directors, Affordable New "Micro-Units" Slated for Little River, Edgewater. "The investigation was so poorly handled and rushed," says Otero, the journalist. His mother, Bonnie Gellilti, was "a bit of a criminal," Tony remembers. This time, I'm innocent.". But when the house of cards tumbles, John . The Marin Post Anthony Galeota was born October 17, 1968, on Long Island. While out of sight, he phoned his guy and lied about being in a particular taxi cab. But Galeota was convinced the cops were bluffing and refused to cooperate. Galeota may not be a good man, but he is brutally honest. local Journalism in South Florida. Then an old friend showed up. "I was 16 years old and amazed," he says. Police repeatedly raided the club, yet Galeota escaped unscathed every time. When crews were launched to investigate, the suspected smugglers threw several packages into the water. But he was too shell-shocked to take up his attorney's offer for a ride to a nice hotel. Tarzan eventually testified against Juan and was deported to Israel, where he recanted his testimony meaning Juans conviction for conspiracy to traffic cocaine was overturned and he went free. Family members can also bring them food and clean water, however, and inmates bribe guards to smuggle in additional items. Galeota yelled. MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) The Coast Guard offloaded about $93 million of cocaine Thursday afternoon on Miami Beach. Instead, they eat rice for lunch and dinner, drink dirty river water, and use a hole in the ground for a toilet. We both understand that.". But when Galeota was arrested June 19, 2011, and charged with trafficking drugs and women, he was just as innocent as Stephen King's saintly inmate. As the couple drove south on I-95, they thought they were leaving the worst behind them. Ludwig Fainberg a Russian-speaking Ukrainian nicknamed "Tarzan" for his flowing locks had opened it a few months earlier but ran it like a private club for Eastern Europeans. But the story of how the documentary got made is nearly as crazy as the caper plot itself. Guards with machine guns man rusty metal towers. In an instant, Galeota's meaty hand was around the customer's neck, shoving him outside. On June 19, 2011, Tony and his oldest son, 15-year-old Anthony Jr., had just sat down to eat wings in the Doll House office around 11 p.m. when the gold-painted doors burst open. Galeota's sheer size and mob connections are the only things keeping him from getting shivved in the dark. In the distance, La Cordillera de San Blas cuts through the Panamanian jungle like a serrated knife. Police repeatedly raided the club, yet Galeota escaped unscathed every time. "Whenever there is an American businessman involved in crime here in Panama, it becomes an important case. It was a caper, for sure., He says: Tarzan was the lynchpin to it, because it was his story. Half an hour later, Galeota was guarding the door when a car rolled up with the window down. October 4, 2012 In this real life Goodfellas tale, New York teen John Alite gets a job at his local Deli, a hangout for 'wise guys'. "Everybody give me your money!" "I lived it up in Miami," he says. Reborn behind bars. I'm kind of stuck with it. But it bored him. As he sweated in jail, Galeota's Panamanian empire crumbled. "I was just numb.". From Porky's to Panama Prison, Tony Galeota Reveals Miami's Mob-Run The submarine request, which came from Yester on behalf of the cartel, was not as outrageous as it now sounds. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. The 43-year-old is shaped like a mini refrigerator: short and squat, with a shaved head and wide-set emerald eyes. But not until she discovered he'd been dating a former Porky's stripper for more than two years did she threaten to divorce him in 2009. "My wife is never going to completely trust me. The irony is not lost on Galeota that after a life of crime in Miami, he was arrested in Panama just as he was going legit. local news and culture, Michael E. Miller local news and culture, Michael E. Miller Theyre nice guys [the cartel members], and I didnt ask what they needed the submarine for., If they woke up and were hungry, they would fly a private jet to Cancun for lunch, says Tiller Russell, director of Operation Odessa. Then theyd roll to Venezuela to check out a new casino. Sixteen months later, the two men have yet to appear in court. Instead, he says competitors pulled government strings to screw him. In the meantime, he's spending time with his wife and kids. He offered protection and gave Galeota $200. He turned himself in a few days later, but the lounge's owner decided to close the cursed club. As far as he was concerned, he owned the military base. The guards leave at 5pm, and they just lock the gates, and its inmate rule at night, he says, explaining that he bribed a guard to get him in and out of the jail. "They knew some Russian guy named Tarzan who had just opened up a club in Miami called Porky's. Tony Galeota in the 1940 Census | Ancestry The smugglers boat was destroyed because it was a hazard to navigation. 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. With Fainberg locked up, Porky's was Galeota's plaything. Rats, roaches, and beetles the size of Chihuahuas crawl over inmates at night. 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. Finally, on May 23, the gate on Galeota's cramped cell swung open, and he was free to go. The 43-year-old is shaped like a mini refrigerator: short and squat, with a shaved head and wide-set emerald eyes. "Last week we were supposed to have a hearing, but there was no running water in Panama City. In the early 1990s, three friends set out to hustle the Russian mob, the Cali cartel and the DEA for the score of a lifetime. When a dancer clapped her ass cheeks like a maraca, a customer's hands instinctively rose to touch them. And when his mother was distraught over a broken washing machine, he filled the house with new appliances. ), The narcotics charge, however, still stands despite little evidence linking Galeota to the drugs. He ogled the women standing on corners in their underwear and high heels. 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