Anthony Salerno

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Fat Tony

Born	May 1, 1911 East Harlem, New York, USA
Died	July 27, 1992 New York City, New York, USA

Anthony Salerno (May 1, 1911 - July 27, 1992) was a member of the U.S. La Cosa Nostra and was a leader in the Genovese Family from the 1970's until his conviction in 1986. Usually seen wearing a fedora hat and chomping on a cigar, he was nicknamed Fat Tony due to his being overweight.

He was born and raised in East Harlem, New York and progressed through the ranks of the New York La Cosa Nostra through crimes such as gambling, numbers, loansharking and protection rackets. Anthony Salerno climbed the ranks of the Genovese crime family by controlling a $50 million a year numbers racket in Harlem, as well as a major loansharking operation. While many of his peers moved their bases of operation out of the neighbourhoods that became predominantly Hispanic and Black, he kept his base of operations at the Palma Boys Social Club in East Harlem.

In the 1970's and 80's Anthony Salerno divided his time between Miami Beach, a 100 acre estate and horse farm in upstate Rhinebeck, New York, the Palma Boys Social Club in East Harlem, New York and his apartment on posh Gramercy Park in Manhattan, New York, either relaxing or overseeing his and the Genovese Family's interests. He was at one time or another the Genovese Family Consigliere, Underboss and Acting Boss or Front Boss. Salerno was sentenced to a six-month jail term in 1978 on gambling and tax evasion charges. Some time in early 1981, Anthony Salerno suffered a mild stoke and retreated to his 100 acre estate in Rhinebeck, New York, he was Underboss of the Genovese Family at the time. After a short period of recovery, Anthony Salerno did not want to retire and returned to New York City with an offer from the Genovese Family hierarchy to assume the leadership position in the Family.

Following the March 31, 1981 death of Boss Frank Tieri, Salerno apparently became the head of the Genovese Family, although it was subsequently revealed by a former informant, Genovese Family soldier and Anthony Salerno right hand man Vincent "The Fish" Cafaro that he was only a Front Man. The true power in the Genovese Family since the February 14, 1969 death of Boss Vito Genovese was Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo who had used a number of Acting or Front Bosses to disguise his real status from law enforcement and the other four New York Families. Philip Lombardo was the mentor of Vincent "The Chin" Gigante, and he had groomed him for the top position and let Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno assume the position of Front Boss in 1981 to protect Lombardo's successor and real Genovese Family Boss Vincent Gigante.

On February 25, 1985, Anthony Salerno along with the eight other New York Bosses who sat on the Commission and two soldiers were indicted and arrested in what became known as the "Commission Case". The trial started in September 1986 and lasted three months; on November 19, 1986 Salerno was convicted on RICO Act charges in the Commission Trial. Anthony Salerno, along with six of the remaining eight defendants to be convicted, were each handed a 100-year prison sentence. In October 1986, Fortune magazine named the 75-year-old Anthony Salerno America's top gangster in power, wealth and influence. Many would dispute the "top power and influence" assessment, but he was definitely one of the richest (if not the richest) gangsters in America. He died in prison from natural causes, just five years into his 100-year sentence in Springfield, Missouri on July 27, 1992, at age 80.

It is possible that Fat Tony in The Simpsons is named after him.