Lawrence John Dentico (born August 22, 1923), also known as "Larry Fab", "Little Larry" and "The Little Guy", is a
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in the
Genovese crime family
The Genovese crime family, () also sometimes referred to as the Westside, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and New Jersey as part of the American M ...
and a former
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 c ...
.
Dentico was born in
Seaside Park, New Jersey
Seaside Park is a borough in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,436, a decrease of 143 (−9.1%) from th ...
, the son of Vito Antonio Dentico and Rose. He is the brother of Joseph born November 5, 1898 in
Gioia del Colle
Gioia del Colle (; Barese: ) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. The town is located on the Murge plateau at above sea level, between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. Physical geography Territory ...
and is the brother-in-law to Theresa Romano, the wife of his brother Joseph.
In 1949 and in 1952, Dentico served brief prison sentences for selling
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
.Crime family is promoting old hands, authorities say" New York Times July 26, 1998 During the 1950s, Dentico worked for boss
Vito Genovese
Vito Genovese (; November 21, 1897 – February 14, 1969) was an Italian-born American mobster who mainly operated in the United States. Genovese rose to power during Prohibition as an enforcer in the American Mafia. A long-time associate and ch ...
. In 1957, authorities suspected that Dentico provided the murder weapon and getaway car in the shooting death of mobster Johnny Earle. In 1966, Dentico was arrested for
loansharking
A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law.
Description
Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...
and extortion rackets in
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...
."The New Jersey-Genovese Faction is slowly pulled apart" New Criminologist
When Vincent "the Chin" Gigante became family boss in 1981, Dentico was working as a top aide in New Jersey to
Louis Manna
Louis Anthony "Bobby" Manna (born December 2, 1929, in Hoboken, New Jersey), is an American mobster and former consigliere of the Genovese crime family operating with the family's New Jersey faction.
Genovese family
Manna was a close associate ...
, the former consigliere. In 1981, Dentico was convicted of fraud and conspiracy involving the bribing of officials in
Union City, New Jersey
Union City is a city in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2020 United States Census the city had a total population of 68,589, After Gigante went to prison for
racketeering
Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit.
Originally and of ...
in 1997, Dentico and Genovese mobster
Frank Illiano
Frank "Punchy" Illiano (1928 – January 6, 2014) was a Brooklyn Captain with the Genovese crime family. During the 1960s and 1970s, he served as a top lieutenant to the Gallo brothers in their two wars with the Colombo crime family leadership.
...
formed a two-man ruling panel of street bosses to operate the family.
In August 2005, Dentico and other Genovese mobsters were indicted on charges of
extortion
Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
conspiracy and conspiracy to commit murder. The defendants were accused of participating in
loansharking
A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law.
Description
Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...
, sports
bookmaking
A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds.
History
The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795.
Range of events
Bookm ...
, numbers running, and football-ticket gambling. Dentico pleaded guilty and on August 16, 2006 was sentenced to 51 months in prison. On May 12, 2009, Dentico was released from prison.
References
Further reading
*United States. Congress. Senate. Appropriations Committee. ''Treasury and Post Office Departments Appropriations, 1954, Hearings Before the Subcommittee of the Committee of Appropriations''. 1953 * Mafia: The Government's Secret File on Organized Crime