They were all together when Tony worked for the Russin mobsters in Porky's club as its manager. She is a high-powered attorney who has defended two former presidents in corruption cases, but even she hasn't been able to get Galeota out of jail yet. Half an hour later, Galeota was guarding the door when a car rolled up with the window down. But instead of classical music, his specialty is sex. "There was no transportation, no cops, no nothing," he says. Photo courtesy of Josh Weiss Surrounded by Colombian strippers, Galeota gives a toast during a party at the Doll House. Anthony Galeota was born October 17, 1968, on Long Island. "But she's never going to forget. But his mind was on another kind of riches. He was 31. October 4, 2012 Instead, they eat rice for lunch and dinner, drink dirty river water, and use a hole in the ground for a toilet. I have to tell you, all my enemies are dead, and Im happy, he says in the documentary. While Kristy was still in the States, he lived with five of his Colombian prostitutes. "That's the problem.". Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. So if you wanna do it, the time is now, and essentially, its happening one way or another, so you might be the person to author your story. The FBI swooped in January 21, surrounding the club and arresting Fainberg. "Now I'm living in hell.". Tony Galeota's shaved head fairly glows with nostalgia as he remembers the days when you might have strolled into his Hialeah bar in search of commercial sex, or maybe to get beaten up or swindled . Locked up in one of the world's worst prisons, Tony has to prove his innocence and attempt an audacious escape. Galeota says the police had already gotten what they wanted: Porky's demise. Panamanian newspapers put "Operation Fiesta" on the front page as prosecutors alleged Galeota was part of an international crime ring. New laws effectively outlaw brothels such as the Doll House, permit or not but if Galeota walks with no convictions, it will surely embarrass officials trying to make it look like they're cleaning up the industry. Guards with machine guns man rusty metal towers. Miami's underworld may still be seedy, but it has outsourced much of its shadiness to nearby Third-World countries such as Panama. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Miami's underworld may still be seedy, but it has outsourced much of its shadiness to nearby Third-World countries such as Panama. When Kristy and their three sons finally arrived in June, the business became a family affair: His wife took over at Bongos, while Galeota concentrated on turning the club into a cash machine. In describing Tarzan, Almeida says in the film, He struck me as an oddball. Tarzan classifies Almeida as a guy who had two drinks and thought he was Tony Montana. As for movie-star handsome, hooker-loving Yesters first impression of Tarzan: I said, This f- -king guy is trouble. Thirty minutes later, I loved the trouble., Abetted by the tumultuous state of the former Soviet Union the ruble was completely devalued and state-owned resources went to whomever had the most firepower gaining access to the submarine was surprisingly easy. "My family didn't care; they took it," Galeota says of the stolen goods. In the meantime, he's spending time with his wife and kids. Prosecutors charged Galeota and Fainberg with not only drug dealing but also human trafficking. Tony Galeota lived in 1954, at address, Massachusetts. We have a lot of laughs about it now," he says. In retrospect, when you tell the stories aloud, its like, Thats insane and you, Tiller, are an insane person for having done that. Its funny; I was just like, this is too good of a story to let go. I just called a friend who had a friend and asked if he could get us a sub. It was a caper, for sure., He says: Tarzan was the lynchpin to it, because it was his story. They were concerned that Tarzan and his arriviste colleagues in crime would merge with Cuban mobsters who already used brutal, bloody force to rule Miamis underworld and create a sort of supergroup of criminality. Tony and Kristy were shocked and out of a job. When he heard that his old partner in crime from Porky's had moved to Panama, he flew in to meet with Galeota. I'm kind of stuck with it. Controlling it. I told Juan, I said, Hey. local news and culture, Michael E. Miller "It was a real moneymaker. Galeota is one of several Americans locked up here. Instead, they eat rice for lunch and dinner, drink dirty river water, and use a hole in the ground for a toilet. He offered protection and gave Galeota $200. Family members can also bring them food and clean water, however, and inmates bribe guards to smuggle in additional items. He is currently being held in Italy. Its a great success overall. When Galeota arrived in Miami in the summer of 1991, the city was awash in coke, crack, and drug cash. "It was a nightmare in there.". "But she's never going to forget. He decked out the Doll House with five upstairs rooms equipped with king-size beds, mirrors, lube, condoms, and showers, and brought in dozens of Colombian women, who could earn $120 split with the club for an hour of sex. Then she'd charge my friends $50 each," he says. I got a piece of the action of every blowjob that my friends got," Galeota says. I never got a straight answer [about why he was in jail there], says Russell. Now the locals want to get rid of guys like Galeota too, as his case has drawn national attention to corruption and human rights abuses. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Moment teenager crashes into back of lorry after 100mph police race, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Ukrainian soldier takes out five tanks with Javelin missiles. "She would use shoe polish to change our driver's licenses so we could go to clubs and drink when we were 15. "I thought I would kick up my heels together like 'Oh my God, I'm finally out,'" he says. Galeota jumped at the deal. But it bored him. Three weeks after the Doll House raid, Kristy was working the bar at Bongos when three teenagers walked into the restaurant. With Fainberg locked up, Porky's was Galeota's plaything. Over the years, Galeota saw nearly a dozen shootings at Porky's, some of them fatal. His mother, Bonnie Gellilti, was "a bit of a. It wasn't until he ordered some Italian food and a cold Guinness that he finally felt like he was free. Tony Galeota: From Running Porky's, Miami's Most Notorious Strip Joint, to Rotting More than 500 inmates crowd into a cell block designed for 200. "Whenever there is an American businessman involved in crime here in Panama, it becomes an important case. Inside, the bar is still littered with half-empty bottles of Chivas Regal. Here, Galeota is just one of 500 prisoners crammed into a filthy cell block designed to hold 200 people. He and Kristy struck up an unlikely romance. S10 E10 - Miami Mobster Take Down Tony Galeota is framed for drug trafficking in Panama City. the agent said. "Their connections were bigger than ours," he says. Tony Galeota Age And Family. Facebook gives people the power. He was a big, big fish.". The bartender hid in the bathroom and dialed 911. "I've been in this business my whole life. Inmates are fed bread and cheese for breakfast and rice (sometimes beans) for lunch and dinner. Sixteen months later, the two men have yet to appear in court. Of the $10 million, he said, I cannot f- -king believe it how fast I spend it.. "It is with tremendous heartfelt sadness to announce the passing of Michael James. "That clean, business-friendly, postcard-Panama bullshit is just a faade," Galeota says. He was a character.. In court statements and interviews with New Times, they said Galeota gave them contracts to sign, cell phones and computers to use, and apartments in which to live. While another new prisoner was beaten and robbed, Galeota was untouched. But he was too shell-shocked to take up his attorney's offer for a ride to a nice hotel. He was hilarious and charming and garrulous, and it was as if hed stepped right out of a Scorsese movie, Russell says, adding: You know whats the funny thing people dont know about docs? "Last week we were supposed to have a hearing, but there was no running water in Panama City. Galeota and his "girls" in the Doll House, before the bust. But when the house of cards tumbles, John . S10 E10 Miami Mobster Take Down. , updated All he needed now were the prostitutes. Find your friends on Facebook. Michael Galeota, who starred on the Disney Channel's "The Jersey" died Sunday, according to Variety. The domestic bliss lasted only a couple of weeks. He ogled the women standing on corners in their underwear and high heels. He also owned the Russian restaurant Babushka, which was a magnet for snowbirding criminals from his homeland. The Coast Guard said four suspected smugglers were taken into custody and 32 bales of cocaine were found in the water. "It is with tremendous heartfelt sadness to announce the passing of Michael James Gal Furious and Busted Rick Cedar steals radios to support his family. This is a guy that the FBI went after for years but could never get him. His attorney has warned him that prosecutors will likely appeal, so he plans to stay in Panama until his case is resolved. "My father wasn't in the mob, but his friends were," Tony says. Wrongly imprisoned. Kristy and his sons hid in a shabby, poorly protected office. The eight crew members aboard the Hope II and the vessel were taken into custody and will be turned over to U.S. officials for further investigation. When he left to open a bona fide brothel in Panama, Galeota thought the country's lax prostitution laws would make him rich. Michael Galeota, who starred on the Disney Channel's "The Jersey" died Sunday, according to Variety. Tarzan and one of his partners, 'Fat Tony' Galeota, had opened a strip club in Panama similar to a previous enterprise in Miami called Porky's - but they landed behind bars in Central America.. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. As he sweated in jail, Galeota's Panamanian empire crumbled. But Fainberg wasn't in town to catch up. But Galeota's plan would soon go catastrophically wrong. By "My wife is never going to completely trust me. They put a hit out on him when he disappeared with the money, while Juan and Tarzan took the legal fall in Miami. As Yester laid low with the cash, cartel liaisons in the United States, aware that they had been burned, pressured Almeida to show them where Yesters relatives lived in and around Miami. But the men kept in touch as Russell pursued other projects, with Tarzan sending random messages such as Christmas greetings until he finally sent the email the filmmaker had been awaiting (although he couldnt have guessed the other crazy details in the communication. "Whenever there is an American businessman involved in crime here in Panama, it becomes an important case. It had been ten years since U.S. "It was a nightmare in there. With little oversight, military leaders acted as if they were independent of the government. Police again surrounded Porky's in the early hours of May 9, 2009. They finally fled the country this past July, leaving Tony alone. And so from there, Juan showed up in Moscow with a vague, half-assed agreement with Tarzan he still had gotten me to come there without agreeing to be in the film, and he put me through the paces of taking me to the sauna and sort of took me on this insane kind of underworld tour of Moscow. Reborn behind bars. I said, Thank you, Cali cartel. ", Instead, he found another, tighter-knit family: the mob. He was very serious and said he would look into it. "Whenever there is an American businessman involved in crime here in Panama, it becomes an important case. But the hassle had taken its toll on him. Most of them were robberies gone wrong or simple revenge. But Tony had darker secrets. Even then, however, he couldn't sleep. We break down the best movies and series to watch in November in theaters and streaming. Within weeks of its April 2011 opening, the club was raking in $6,000 on good nights. "Everybody give me your money!" We have a lot of laughs about it now," he says. "When you're in La Joya for two years, you get used to that environment," Galeota says. "A family type thing, like an ale house with wings and beer," he says. Now the locals want to get rid of guys like Galeota too, as his case has drawn national attention to corruption and human rights abuses. His attorney has warned him that prosecutors will likely appeal, so he plans to stay in Panama until his case is resolved. Instead, he says competitors pulled government strings to screw him. He hired 'Fat Tony' Galeota as Porky's manager. independent local journalism in Miami. Tony is my friend, and well always love each other. Now the stranger-than-fiction story is brought to life in new documentary Operation Odessa, a film thats closer to a roller-coaster ride than anything else and premieres on Showtime March 31. Back in South Florida, Kristy Galeota vacillates between outrage and empathy for her husband. For two decades, Galeota managed Porky's, a Hialeah dive notorious for drugs, prostitution, and violence, where he was part pimp, part bouncer, and completely untouchable. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Then she'd charge my friends $50 each," he says. According to Yester, the cartel provided an initial payment of $10 million. Even then, however, he couldn't sleep. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. We've been here for two years!' This time, the feds took over the strip club before selling it to new owners, with one requirement: Neither Galeota nor anyone else from the old club could ever work there again. But in South Florida, he was once a strip club king. Controlling it. Prostitutes were everywhere at the weddings, and when Tony asked another employee where they came from, the older kid took him to Manhattan's infamous West End. They taught him the rules, the most important of which Galeota took to heart: "You can have your girlfriends on the side," he remembers hearing, "but never leave your wife.". Photo Gallery. Its a great satisfaction after being two months deployed and everybodys tired but you come home with a case like this its very satisfying, said Castro. CAKEGATE 2023: Bad Bunny's Restaurant Accused of Gobbling Birthday Girl's Cake, Neighborhood Nazi Jon Minadeo Peddles Hate by the Minute, Sen. Rubio's Permanent Daylight Savings Bill Sees Light of Day Once More, NFL Legend Ray Lewis Joins World Jai-Alai League Board of Directors, Affordable New "Micro-Units" Slated for Little River, Edgewater. Log In. Like a concert pianist, Tony Galeota has spent his life honing a single skill since he was a teenager. A kilo of cocaine in Panama costs much less - about $5,000 per. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, running Miami's most infamous strip club, Porky's, Tony Galeota: From Running Porky's, Miami's Most Notorious Strip Joint, to Rotting in a Panamanian Jail, Sex and Drugs in the Champagne Room: The Truth About Porky's and Other Miami Strip Clubs. But bloodshed would follow them to Miami. (Panama passed harsher penalties for human trafficking during Galeota's incarceration, but Galeota can't be prosecuted under laws that weren't in place when he was arrested. "I'm not a religious person, but I believe I went to jail because I was living like a rock star -- running around with all these women, drinking a bottle of vodka every day for two years," he says. Then my friend got back to me a couple days later and said there was just one question: Do you want a sub with missiles or without? , For all their camaraderie, though, the criminals opinions of one another were mixed. The irony is not lost on Galeota that after a life of crime in Miami, he was arrested in Panama just as he was going legit. He turned himself in a few days later, but the lounge's owner decided to close the cursed club. This time, I'm innocent.". In the meantime, he's spending time with his wife and kids. All the main players involved appear on camera and share their stories, including law enforcement, from which the documentary takes its name; Operation Odessa was formed as a joint task force in the 1990s as American authorities worried that Colombian cartels would join together with Russian organized crime to pair drug money with Soviet military hardware.
