Spiros Velentzas

The Velentzas Organization, also known as the "Greek crew" is a Greek-American criminal organization operating in the New York City area.Jerry Capeci. ''Jerry Capeci's Gang Land.'' (pg.170-172) ''The Man Gotti Never Got''. October 12, 1994

/ref> During the 1980s into the early 1990s the Greek organization controlled a number of in illegal gambling operations in and around the New York City area. In 1992, after the organizations leader, Spyredon "Spiro the Greek" Velentzas was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison the organization gradually declined in power.

Spiro the Greek

The group originated from the ''Kourakos clan,'' a Maniots, Maniot Greek criminal organization led by Peter Kourakos. In the 1980s, under the leadership of Spyredon "Spiro" Velentzas the organization rose to prominence controlling a number of illegal gambling operations in the New York City area. The Greek organization operated from the Greek American neighborhood of Astoria, Queens. In the late 1980s, the group grew to over 30 members and had gained more territory in Queens and Brooklyn by taking over more illegal gambling rackets, dice games and horse-racing parlors.

Velentzas maintained a close working relationship with Lucchese crime family's Consigliere Christopher "Christie Tick" Furnari.Man Tied to Mafia Guilty on 10 Counts
''The New York Times'', June 20, 1992. Accessed July 2, 2008. The Lucchese family provided protection to the Greeks, and received a portion of their gambling profits.Carl Campanile. ''Albania 'Mafia' Broken''. October 27, 2004. New York Post

/ref>Kareem Fahim and Alan Feuer. ''Beating Them at Their Own Game; Albanian Groups Are Muscling Into Mob Land, Officials Say''. January 3, 2006. The New York Times

/ref> Velentzas and his Greek crew attempted to expand their illegal gambling rackets further, but were met with resistance by the Gambino crime family. The FBI caught on wiretaps Gambino family boss John Gotti threatening to have Spiro killed for moving into the gambling territory controlled by the Gambino family.

Velentzas imprisonment

On June 20, 1992, Velentzas was found guilty of murder, loan sharking, gambling, and tax fraud charges, while being found not guilty on one murder charge. Velentzas was later found guilty, for the murder of Sarecho "Sammy the Arab" Nalo and was sentenced to life in prison. Former Lucchese family capo Peter "Fat Pete" Chiodo, who became a government informant, admitted that he gave the Sarecho Nalo murder contract to Lucchese soldiers Michael "Baldy Mike" Spinelli and Richie "The Piece" Pagliarulo. Nalo was murdered on October 25, 1988, while on the phone with Velentzas disputing gambling territory when Michael Spinelli pulled the trigger shotting him.

In June 2022, the 86-years old Velentzas, still serving life in prison filed a motion for a compassionate release due to health conditions. As of June 12, 2021, Velentzas is serving his life sentence at FCC Allenwood.

Against the Rudaj Organization

By the late 1990s, Fotios Dimopoulos began leading the Greek crew and controlled the gambling operations in Astoria, Queens for the Luchese family.

In June 2001, the Albanian Rudaj Organization began extorting Fotios Dimopoulos and attacked his associate Antonios Balampanis, an Albanian who spoke Greek in order to take control of gambling rackets in Astoria, Queens. The Rudaj Organization was based in the Bronx and Westchester and supported by the Gambino family. On August 3, 2001, Rudaj Organization members Ljusa Nuculovic and five others attacked Dimopoulos's associate Antonios Balampanis who was running a gambling club known as Soccer Fever. The Rudaj Organization entered the club attacking the Greek associates of the Lucchese family and beating Balampanis with a pistol. After the attacks the Rudaj Organization took control of the Greek dice game barbout. In 2004, the leaders of the Rudaj Organization including Nuculovic were imprisoned on numerous racketeering charges.

References

{{Organized crime groups in New York City

Greek-American organized crime groups
Gangs in New York City