Gennaro Adriano Langella (; December 30, 1938 – December 15, 2013),Obitsforlife (archived)
/ref> also known as "Gerry Lang", was an American

mobster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

in the

Colombo crime family The Colombo crime family (, ) is an Italian American Mafia crime family and is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City within the criminal organization known as the American Mafia. It was duri ...

of New York City, and eventually became

underboss Underboss ( it, sottocapo) is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian, Greek, and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss. The under ...

and acting boss.

Biography

Background

Langella was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York City, in 1938 to first generation immigrants from

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Langella became a close associate of future mob boss

Carmine Persico Carmine John Persico Jr. (; August 8, 1933 – March 7, 2019), also known as "Junior", "The Snake" and "Immortal", was an American mobster and the longtime boss of the Colombo crime family in New York City from 1973 until his death in 2019. He h ...

. It is believed that Langella secretly became a "

made man In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oa ...

" in the Colombo family during a time when the New York crime families were not accepting new members. Langella is the father of reputed Colombo soldier Vincent Langella. Crime writer

Selwyn Raab Selwyn Raab (born June 26, 1934 in New York City) is an American journalist, author and former investigative reporter for ''The New York Times''. He has written extensively about the American Mafia and criminal justice issues. Early life and educ ...

described Langella as:

... a ruthless arrogant loan shark and drug trafficker. His speech was peppered with expletives. He was considered a vain clotheshorse and unlike more contemporary Hollywood gangster attire he favored double-breasted blazers, sporty open-collar shirts and wrap-around sunglasses. He was a regular patron of the Casa Sorta restaurant in
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn Bensonhurst is a residential neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bordered on the northwest by 14th Avenue, on the northeast by 60th Street, on the southeast by Avenue P and 22nd ...
, where he would hold meetings with associates.

Colombo family

Langella quickly rose up through the ranks of the crime family. While Persico was in prison during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Langella doubled as underboss and even as acting boss while Persico went into hiding to avoid federal indictments. Langella supervised various labor rackets for the family, including their stake in the "Concrete Club", and exerted control over various labor unions, including Cement and Concrete Workers District Council, Local 6A. As acting boss, his

consigliere Consigliere ( , ; plural ) is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel '' The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a ...

was Ralph Scopo Jr., the son of Colombo crime family soldier Ralph Scopo Sr.

Prison

On October 14, 1984, Langella, Persico, and other Colombo mobsters were indicted on RICO racketeering and extortion charges in the Colombo trial. On February 25, 1985, Langella and other mob leaders were indicted in the

Mafia Commission Trial The Mafia Commission Trial (in full, ''United States v. Anthony Salerno, et al'') was a criminal trial before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in New York City, United States, that lasted from February 25, 19 ...

. In March 1985, Langella was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment and a $15,000 fine for

perjury Perjury (also known as foreswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an inst ...

and

obstruction of justice Obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, is an act that involves unduly influencing, impeding, or otherwise interfering with the justice system, especially the legal and procedural tasks of prosecutors, investigators, or other gov ...

. In the Colombo Trial, Langella was sentenced to 65 years' imprisonment on November 17, 1986. Along with the other defendants, Langella pleaded not guilty on July 1, 1985, in the Mafia Commission Trial. On November 19, 1986, Langella was convicted in the Mafia Commission Trial along with Persico and other top Cosa Nostra leaders in New York. On January 13, 1987, Langella was sentenced to 100 years in prison to run consecutively with his 65-year sentence, fined $240,000, and given no option for parole. He was last imprisoned in the

United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners The United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners (MCFP Springfield) is a United States federal prison in Springfield, Missouri which provides medical, mental health, and dental services to male offenders. It is operated by the Federal Bureau ...

(MCFP) in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

, where he died on December 15, 2013.Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Langella, Gennaro 1938 births 2013 deaths American crime bosses American gangsters of Italian descent American people who died in prison custody Bosses of the Colombo crime family Colombo crime family People convicted of racketeering People from Brooklyn Prisoners who died in United States federal government detention