Guido "The Bull" Penosi (June 4, 1930 – Feb 22, 2010) was a narcotics dealer with the Gambino and Lucchese crime families who was indicted for an extortion attempt against singer

Wayne Newton Carson Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942) is an American singer and actor. One of the most popular singers in the nation from the mid-to-late 20th-century, Newton remains one of the best-known entertainers in Las Vegas. He is known by the nicknam ...

Newton and Penosi

Not much is known about Penosi's earlier years other than his being convicted of murder as a juvenile. In 1971, Penosi was convicted of

tax evasion Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the taxp ...

for not paying income taxes for several years during the 1960s. He was the cousin of

Frank Piccolo Frank Louis Piccolo also known as Frank Lanza (July 2, 1921 – September 19, 1981), was a ''caporegime'' in the Gambino crime family in Bridgeport, Connecticut who became involved in a famous extortion case with singer Wayne Newton. Biography ...

. During the 1960s, Penosi met Newton while he was performing at New York City's famous Copacabana Club. After that meeting, their friendship continued to develop. According to court records, Newton's office calendar marked Penosi's birthday prominently and Newton spent almost a month with Penosi in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Penosi attended the wedding of Newton's brother, Jerry. In 1976, Newton flew to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

with his band to perform for Penosi's son free of charge.

Problem and payment

In 1980, Newton approached Penosi for help. Newton had pulled out of a

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

tabloid show called ''Backstage''. As a result, he had been receiving threats from other organized crime figures. To help Newton, Penosi contacted his cousin

, who allegedly solved the problem. However, Newton may not have realized that Penosi and Piccolo expected some payback for this favor. As Judge William Norris of the

Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * District ...

wrote, "Newton went to Penosi with a problem and Penosi called Piccolo who helped solve the problem. Piccolo and Penosi later discussed 'earning off' Newton and possibly 'earning off' his ownership of the Aladdin Hotel. Piccolo and Penosi were investigated and indicted by a federal grand jury, which heard the testimony of Wayne Newton. All of these facts are beyond dispute." Newton originally tried to deny any relationship with Penosi. Judge Norris wrote that Newton, :"...testified falsely that Penosi had never visited him" and that it was "...undisputed that a disagreement over an amount not less than $20,000..." had motivated Newton to go to Penosi for help.

Floyd Abrams Floyd Abrams (born in July 9, 1936) is an American attorney at Cahill Gordon & Reindel. He is an expert on constitutional law and has argued in 13 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. Abrams represented ''The New York Times'' ...

, '' Speaking Freely, published by

Viking Press Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim and then acquire ...

(2005), Page 109 and Page 122. This episode became public when the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

TV network did an exposé on Newton's alleged mob connections. Newton tried to block NBC in court from airing the program, but failed. In June 1981, Penosi and Piccolo were charged with conspiring to extort money and 'valuable rights' from Newton and entertainer

Lola Falana Loletha Elayne Falana or Loletha Elaine Falana (born September 11, 1942), better known by her stage name Lola Falana, is an American singer, dancer, and actress. Early life Lola Falana was born in Camden, New Jersey. She was the third of si ...

.New York Times
The Region; 2 Allegedly in Mobs Accused of Extortion
June 13, 1981. The first trial resulted in a hung jury and the second trial in 1982 found Penosi not guilty on all charges.

Quotes about Penosi

* "Then there was the deposition my partner, Tom Kavaler, took of Guido Penosi, who arrived at the deposition open-shirted, adorned with large gold jewellery and dressed—I know of no other way to say it—like someone involved in organized crime. Tom questioned Penosi about his relationship with Newton and received detailed responses. When Tom asked Penosi, as he sometimes was obliged to, if he had engaged in one criminal act or another, Penosi would respond, "I take the Fifth" (pronounced "Fiff"), and Tom, at every break, would carefully assure Penosi that he was just doing his job. Penosi seemed amused, and so were we."

References

External links

UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Guido Anthony PENOSI, Defendant-Appellant
{{DEFAULTSORT:Penosi, Guido 1931 births Gambino crime family American gangsters of Italian descent Lucchese crime family 2010 deaths

Newton and Penosi

Problem and payment

Quotes about Penosi

See also

References

External links