Carmine Romano
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Carmine Romano (b. August 21, 1935) was a New York City mobster and captain in the Genovese crime family who controlled the Fulton Fish Market distribution center in Downtown Manhattan.
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[edit] Mob control of Fulton Fish Market
Beginning in the 1920's, the Fish Market had been controlled by mobsters. Unloading crews would extort "parking fees" and kickbacks from out of town fish companies. If a company refused to pay, the unloaders would let the fish spoil. Mob employees and mob-controlled companies received special benefits. The Market’s security force operated a protection racket for retail shops and vehicles located on the margins of the Market waterfront. Two of Romano's top soldiers would become powerful captains in their own right sharing the Fish Market, Rosario Gangi and Alphonse "Allie Shades" Malangone. Across the street from the Fish Market was Carmine's Restaurant, which was owned by Carmine's uncle. Upstairs from the dining room was Romano's headquarters for operations at the Fish Market.
[edit] Prison for Romano
Authorities made some small efforts to clean up the corruption. In the late 1970's, Romano was removed from the leadership of the seafood union for extorting wholesalers and enforcing a cartel. Finally, in 1981, Romano was convicted on racketeering and sent to prison for 14 years. However, Genovese domination of the market continued.
Before going to prison in 1981, Romano tried to intimidate the current non-mob owner of Carmine' restaurant into selling it back to Romano's uncle. According to court documents, Romano and associates visited the owner on the morning of Jan. 21, 1981. They began their visit by breaking glasses, smashing all the windows, mirrors, tables, and chairs, throwing food around, destroying the coffee and cigarette machines, and yanking the stove out of the wall. Finally, they robbed the cash register and left. Despite this frightening display, the owner refused to sell it back.
[edit] Cleanup of Fish Market
In 1994, new mayor Rudy Giuliani launched a campaign to end mob control of the market. Through civil suits and new regulations, the city expelled mob employees and vendors and ended the extortion rackets against honest seafood vendors. The Genovese family retailiated with arson and wildcat strikes, but were unable to stop the city.
[edit] Aftermath
In 1999, Romano was released from prison and moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts. In November 2005, the City of New York moved all seafood wholesale operations to a new facility in Hunts Pointin the Bronx and permanently closed the Fulton Fish Market.
[edit] Further reading
- Jacobs, James B., Coleen Friel and Robert Radick. Gotham Unbound: How New York City Was Liberated from the Grip of Organized Crime. New York: NYU Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8147-4247-5
- Raab, Selwyn. Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York: St. Martin Press, 2005. ISBN 0-312-30094-8
