Anthony J. Rampino (c. 1939 – 20 December 2010), also known as "Tony Roach", 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 ...
who was affiliated with the
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Ame ...
of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, and involved in truck hijacking and drug trafficking.
Biography
He earned the nickname "Tony Roach" or simply "Roach" because of his vague physical resemblance to the insect, the
cockroach
Cockroaches (or roaches) are a paraphyletic group of insects belonging to Blattodea, containing all members of the group except termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known as ...
, the name assumed a double meaning not too long afterward when Rampino started smoking copious amounts of
marijuana
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
. He was involved in
drug trafficking
A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...
. He became a close friend of
John Gotti
John Joseph Gotti Jr.Capeci, Mustain (1996), pp. 25–26 (, ; October 27, 1940 – June 10, 2002) was an American gangster and boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. He ordered and helped to orchestrate the murder of Gambino boss ...
,
Angelo Ruggiero
Angelo "Quack Quack" Ruggiero Sr. (; July 29, 1940 – December 4, 1989) was a member of the Gambino crime family and a friend of John Gotti's. Once Gotti became leader of the family he made Ruggiero a caporegime. Although he showed little orga ...
,
Nicholas Corozzo,
Leonard DiMaria
Leonard "Lenny" DiMaria (born 1941), also known as "Prateek" and "the Conductor", is a New York mobster and Caporegime in the Gambino crime family. He is considered by law enforcement to be a close associate of Nicholas Corozzo and has served as h ...
and Pavle Stanimirovic. Anthony's passion was stickball and being a successful thief. He was a cadaverous looking man with huge hands and long arms that seemed to reach down past his knees, and an odd rubbery-looking face. He liked to contort his face into all kinds of horrible grimaces in front of a mirror, years of practice allowed him, at a second's notice, to shape his face into something like The Phantom of the Opera. He firmly believed that such faces would frighten any enemy.
The New Godfather: The Rise of John Gotti
Michael Daly, ''New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
'' (June 23, 1986)
He had been troubled with a severe heroin addiction in the 1960s which was well known among his criminal associates, but had successfully kicked the drug habit by 1979. Former friend Sammy Gravano later said, "It was all around amongst us that people with John were heavy, heavy in drugs; personally I don't believe John ever did it himself. But he had to know what was going on. I mean, there's Genie (Gene Gotti), his own brother, Angelo Ruggiero, who he grew up with - the other guys with him - John Carneglia, Edward Lino, Tony Roach (Anthony Rampino), who not only had a reputation for drugs but was an ex-junkie." Anthony and Wilfred Johnson served as John Gotti's chief loan collectors for the crew.
Rampino was an associate of the Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Ame ...
affiliated with John Gotti
John Joseph Gotti Jr.Capeci, Mustain (1996), pp. 25–26 (, ; October 27, 1940 – June 10, 2002) was an American gangster and boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. He ordered and helped to orchestrate the murder of Gambino boss ...
's crew, which was headquarted out of the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club in Ozone Park, Queens
Ozone Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens, New York, United States. It is next to the Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, a popular spot for Thoroughbred racing and home to the Resorts Wor ...
, but never became a fully initiated
Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformation ...
, or "made" member, of the organization.[John Gotti crony Anthony (Tony Roach) Rampino dies at 71](_blank)
John Marzulli, ''New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'' (December 21, 2010) John Marzulli of the ''New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'' described Rampino as a "colorful mob character" who was "notable for his skull-like appearance". Another, unnamed, source called him "the scariest man you'd ever meet – tall, lean and he looked like a vampire".
He was a backup shooter in the assassination of Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano
Constantino Paul Castellano (; June 26, 1915 – December 16, 1985), was an American crime boss who succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family. Castellano was killed in an unsanctioned hit on December 16, 1985.
Early life
Cast ...
and his underboss Tommy Bilotti
Thomas "Tommy" Bilotti (March 23, 1940 – December 16, 1985) was an American mobster with the Gambino crime family who served as underboss for two weeks. It was this promotion that helped trigger the 1985 assassination of Gambino boss Paul Cast ...
, who were each shot dead by a team of hitmen outside Sparks Steak House
Sparks Steak House is a steakhouse restaurant in New York City, located at 210 East 46th Street (between Second and Third Avenue) in Midtown Manhattan.
History
The restaurant was founded by brothers Pasquale (Pat) and Mike Cetta in 1966. In the ...
in Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...
on December 16, 1985. According to a source: " ampino'sjob was to kill anyone, civilians or cops, who followed the hit team". The murder of Castellano allowed for Gotti's ascent to leadership of the Gambino crime family.
Drug bust and arrest
On June 28, 1987, he was arrested for selling $30,000 worth of heroin to an undercover police officer in Ozone Park, Queens. He was sentenced to twenty-five(25) years in a federal prison for criminal sale of a controlled substance in the first degree, which carries a sentence of fifteen years to life in prison. His bail was set at $150,000.
Death
Suffering from heart and respiratory problems, Rampino was admitted to St. Luke's Hospital in New Hartford, New York
New Hartford is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Oneida County, New York, United States. As of the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census, the town population was 22,166. The name of New Hartford was provided by a settler fam ...
on December 4, 2010, where he died 16 days later.
References
* ''Goombata: The Improbable Rise and Fall of John Gotti and His Gang'' by John Cummings and Ernest Volkman
Witness Identifies Castellano Gunman As Gotti Associate
New York Times, February 28, 1992. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
* http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/answers-about-the-new-york-mafia-part-2/
New York Times, June 29, 1987. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
The Rat
by Allan May, Crime Magazine, October 15, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rampino, Tony
1930s births
2010 deaths
20th-century American criminals
American male criminals
American gangsters of Italian descent
American drug traffickers
Gangsters from New York City
Criminals from Queens, New York
People from Ozone Park, Queens
American people convicted of drug offenses
American people who died in prison custody
Prisoners who died in United States federal government detention
Gambino crime family