Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. McDonald expects those will be dismissed as well, but not for months. He'd already invested in seven apartments in Panama City and rented a storefront on the capital's seediest street, where prostitution was legal. We didn't even have to have sex unless we wanted to," says a Colombian stripper named Catherine. There is no rehabilitation here," he says. "They murdered a guy in here a couple of days ago," Tony Galeota says. Seidle was never charged with a crime. "It is with tremendous heartfelt sadness to announce the passing of Michael James Gal "I was just numb.". View the profiles of people named Anthony Galeota. GALEOTA, Joseph A., Sr. Joseph A. Galeota Sr., 86, of Ashford CT, died on Wednesday (January 26, 2011) at Windham Hospital from congestive heart failure. Panama had gone from paradise to purgatory. The 43-year-old is shaped like a mini refrigerator: short and squat, with a shaved head and wide-set emerald eyes. 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. And he hopes to open a place in Fort Lauderdale when he's back, Just not a strip club. But the Doll House and Moulin Rouge remain closed. Filmography (by Job) Trailers and Videos. But when Galeota was arrested June 19, 2011, and charged with trafficking drugs and women, he was just as innocent as Stephen King's saintly inmate. "If you like to eat chocolate and you live in a chocolate factory, you're going to eat chocolate," he says. South Florida's independent Finally, on May 23, the gate on Galeota's cramped cell swung open, and he was free to go. Its about 2,800 kilos, about a ton and a half of contraband. He was 31. Kristy was able to pay a lawyer $500 to get her son released, but there was no bond for Galeota's drug offense. Director Tiller Russell Stars Ludwig Fainberg Juan Almeida Nelson Yester See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 44 User reviews 9 Critic reviews Awards 1 nomination Videos 2 Trailer 1:46 . People named Tony Goleta. He was 31. They are willing to assume the massive risk of getting caught and going to prison for decades, because if they make just one big score they're millionaires. But Monday morning, when it came time to walk out of La Joya, there was no vehicle waiting. A kilo of cocaine in Panama costs much less - about $5,000 per. But instead of classical music, his specialty is sex. Im gonna see them in f***ing hell when I arrive there., Russell says the fugitive is probably one of the most fascinating human beings Ive ever been in a room with., He adds: Theres five other films you couldve made about his life and life experiences, and yet he was charming and cultured and funny and also, then, on a dime deadly serious, not somebody that you trifle with. Luckier still, a powerful Colombian inmate named Mauricio Ramrez recognized Galeota from his restaurant. Just not a strip club. The year before, his father helped him land a job as a wedding DJ. I never got a straight answer [about why he was in jail there], says Russell. This time, I'm innocent.". Coast Guard members who seized the cocaine said this is what their jobs are all about. Once they spotted the plane, they changed course which is suspicious for us, said Boatswains Mate 1st Class, Joshua McElhaney with the Coast Guard. As Shea tried to pull the panties off one of the dancers, he heard police sirens in the distance and bolted. Russian mobsters learned about their comrade's successful venture, and adopted the club as a virtual office. We had a $500,000 house, cars, and motorcycles. If only there were a place where prostitution was legal, he thought, a city full of beautiful women like Miami, but no rules. And that's why drug traffickers are in the business - take something that starts off with a value of $5,000 and when you're done selling it at the retail level the value has skyrocketed. Michael Galeota, who starred on the Disney Channel's "The Jersey" died Sunday, according to Variety. None of them ever appeared in the newspapers, but Hialeah police records confirm there were at least ten shootings at Porky's during Galeota's tenure. "I just watched Luis blow a guy away," Galeota heard himself say on tape. Galeota's imprisonment abroad marks the end of one of Miami's most outrageous eras, when Russian and Colombian cartels stocked strip clubs with cheap prostitutes and cheaper cocaine. "But I've always paid for everything, either with stitches in my head, concussions, or jail time. He offered protection and gave Galeota $200. "I'm used to getting my water from a rain bucket, not hot from the tap." But when the house of cards tumbles, John . "They murdered a guy in here a couple of days ago," Tony Galeota says. "She would use shoe polish to change our driver's licenses so we could go to clubs and drink when we were 15. But instead of classical music, his specialty is sex. As he contemplates the question, Galeota watches his fellow inmates kick a soccer ball across La Joya's putrid playground. Galeota is no angelic Andy Dufresne, the main character in Shawshank who serves two decades behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. He raises his eyebrows and looks upwards to the left to emphasize just how flabbergasted he was with Mishas counter question. "She hasn't worked for 15 years. The smugglers boat was destroyed because it was a hazard to navigation. Galeota may not be a good man, but he is brutally honest. Its impossible but only because its true. Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida 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. In the second interdiction, a Customs plane spotted another suspicious boat off the coast of Panama on August 28th. The gig introduced him to a lifelong vice. Miami mobster Tony Galeota is locked up in Panama after being framed for drug dealing and human trafficking. Days go by without water, and when it does arrive, it's turbid sludge from a nearby river. Unfortunately, Galeota's defense isn't as simple as quoting strippers, says his lawyer, Guillermina McDonald. "It was puppy love," he says. A tattoo of an Italian Mafioso emerges from an extra-large sleeveless T-shirt. Galeota and his "girls" in the Doll House, before the bust. They also discovered the club was registered as a massage parlor, not a brothel. On a crowded balcony overlooking La Joya, Galeota describes the past 16 months as a nightmare. 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. It continued at another local strip club, called Quarterbacks Playmates Lounge. Like a real-life godfather, Galeota weathered it all. As chronicled in the new Showtime documentary Operation Odessa, the trio of cutthroat outlaws collaborated in 1996 to procure the ultimate weapon for Colombias money-minting Cali cocaine cartel: a military submarine. ", Coast Guard Offloads More Than $93 Million In Cocaine, Miami Beach. He answered only to property owner William Seidle, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court trustee who ran a chain of car dealerships. We travelled all the time. It wasn't until he ordered some Italian food and a cold Guinness that he finally felt like he was free. "There were beautiful girls, just walking the streets, giving blowjobs for $10 or $15.". They arrested 18 suspects, including Galeota, several strippers, and most employees. The Coast Guard said four suspected smugglers were taken into custody and 32 bales of cocaine were found in the water. They'd use their connections with immigration officials to obtain visas and prostitution licenses and then give Tarzan and Tony 40 percent of the profits to run a new club, called the Doll House. Sixteen months later, the two men have yet to appear in court. Access is free so discover Tony Galeota's story today. It was coke or pimping or messing with the wrong people.. Instead, Galeota admits he's done bad things, such as running Miami's most infamous strip club, Porky's, for years before moving to Panama and opening a brothel. He bought seven properties pretty much sight unseen.". They put a hit out on him when he disappeared with the money, while Juan and Tarzan took the legal fall in Miami. Juan, Tarzan and law enforcement insisted there was no way hed agree to participate in the documentary. By now, she knows of his many infidelities, including that he lived and slept with some of the girls at the Doll House. Episode 5: Spain /Sold My Soul Tony went on the run with the money the drug cartel provided up front, however, as authorities closed in - meaning the deal never happened, Tarzan got deported, Juan was (temporarily) convicted on drug charges and Tony became a fugitive not just from justice but from the hit that was put out on his head. When Galeota stood up, he checked his T-shirt for bullet holes, but found none. In the distance, La Cordillera de San Blas cuts through the Panamanian jungle like a serrated knife. He was 31. "My family didn't care; they took it," Galeota says of the stolen goods. He broke it off with the woman, but his problems were only beginning. "But I've always paid for everything, either with stitches in my head, concussions, or jail time. While Kristy was still in the States, he lived with five of his Colombian prostitutes. Panama became Galeota's personal paradise. I hoped to walk away from the deal with $10 million.. And she launched drunken tirades at Tony after baseball games, no matter how well the all-star shortstop performed. S10 E10 Miami Mobster Take Down. Apparently knowing all too well how things would shake out, Yester decided to screw his partners and take off for Amsterdam with the first $10 million. Inmates are fed bread and cheese for breakfast and rice (sometimes beans) for lunch and dinner. local Journalism in South Florida. Sixteen months later, the two men have yet to appear in court. In an instant, Galeota's meaty hand was around the customer's neck, shoving him outside. "But she's never going to forget. Anthony Galeota was born October 17, 1968, on Long Island. Indeed, Tony would turn Porky's into a moneymaking machine. He was very serious and said he would look into it. Galeota believes that his arrest has little to do with a renewed commitment to the law in Panama. The crew boarded the 165-foot Panamanian-flagged coastal freighter Hope II. When Galeota arrived in Miami in the summer of 1991, the city was awash in coke, crack, and drug cash. The 43-year-old is shaped like a mini refrigerator: short and squat, with a shaved head and wide-set emerald eyes. "They shot him in the middle of the night," Galeota continues quietly, "and buried his body behind the pavilion.". "Keep your fucking hands off the girl!" The heavy-set Italian even signed a release. It's not quite Shawshank Redemption, but when Tony Galeota walked out of a Panama City jail cell May 23, it was still a small serving of justice. "I lived it up in Miami," he says. He turned himself in a few days later, but the lounge's owner decided to close the cursed club. Sheila Flynn For Dailymail.com Awards. Prisoners eat stale bread and a slice of cheese for breakfast; rice and sometimes beans is their lunch and dinner. 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.". If Galeota is freed, it will be a major blow for Panama's prostitution crackdown. "Now I'm living in hell.". Facilitating it. When he left to open a bona fide brothel in Panama, Galeota thought the country's lax prostitution laws would make him rich. But Porky's was just a Hialeah dive bar on the corner of SE 14th Street and Ninth Avenue, surrounded by cheap motels and buzzed by flights taking off from Miami International Airport. Three weeks after the Doll House raid, Kristy was working the bar at Bongos when three teenagers walked into the restaurant. With little oversight, military leaders acted as if they were independent of the government. He didn't stay long. "She would use shoe polish to change our driver's licenses so we could go to clubs and drink when we were 15. Tony Galeota. But Galeota's problems aren't completely behind him. Moreover, trafficking prostitutes and drugs and involvement in organized crime are some serious charges.". I flew to a little island near St. Petersburg, met with a retired Russian admiral, and he took me to the navy base, says Tarzan. The entire situation sounds like something dreamed up for a Miami Vice-inspired action thriller, but it actually happened in the 1990s and the trio came very close to pulling it off before one of them pocketed the cartels millions and went on the run. Garrulous and bearish, the dentist-turned-hood (practicing the former in the Soviet Union and training for the latter in Brighton Beach) routinely carried two pistols and operated out of his Hialeah, Fla., strip club, Porkys: famous for a small motorized car that pulled up between the spread legs of dancers as they performed. And there was absolutely no bullshit. Galeota was crammed into a sweltering holding cell with 150 others. Indeed, court records show that Seidle was a target of the federal wiretapping investigation. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. It had been ten years since U.S. And so with like five days prep I jumped on a plane, went to Miami, started courting the cops and the feds and the US attorneys and all the good guys, the law enforcement side of it their participation was instrumental in it, because theyre the ones that have all the evidentiary record and all the surveillance video and the photos and the wiretaps and all that stuff, most of which is the sort of visual skeleton to the film. Galeota is one of several Americans locked up here. Theyre nice guys [the cartel members], and I didnt ask what they needed the submarine for, Tarzan tells The Post, speaking on a crackling phone connection from Russia. It was a caper, for sure., He says: Tarzan was the lynchpin to it, because it was his story. The drugs will be turned over to the DEA. One can imagine they did plenty of drugs.. And they were doing it on behalf of the notorious Cali drug cartel in Colombia, who planned to use the underwater vessel to smuggle cocaine undetected. Michael Galeota, who starred on the Disney Channel's "The Jersey" died Sunday, according to Variety. 4:00AM. "I've done a lot of shady things in the States," he admits. Meet me in Africa for a cup of coffee tomorrow.. "Their connections were bigger than ours," he says. "Whenever there is an American businessman involved in crime here in Panama, it becomes an important case. "Now I'm living in hell.". Anywhere other than La Joya, this news would be shocking. "My wife could have left me. At the entrance to La Joya, ant hills and wasp nests surround a wooden sign. It was a Foxtrot-class submarine, or Project 641 as the Soviets called it. Even then, however, he couldn't sleep. "It was puppy love," he says. Instead, they eat rice for lunch and dinner, drink dirty river water, and use a hole in the ground for a toilet. Anthony Galeota (right) poses with Ludwig "Tarzan" Fainberg inside the Doll House weeks before their arrest. The domestic bliss lasted only a couple of weeks. Family members can also bring them food and clean water, however, and inmates bribe guards to smuggle in additional items. And she launched drunken tirades at Tony after baseball games, no matter how well the all-star shortstop performed. But he was too shell-shocked to take up his attorney's offer for a ride to a nice hotel. Galeota is no angelic Andy Dufresne, the main character in Shawshank who serves two decades behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. 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. Locked Up Abroad 151M subscribers Miami mobster Tony Galeota is a strip-club supremo. Although he knows he could receive the death penalty, the money is too tempting to resist. "I don't care how strong you are; that's going to affect your marriage," she says. The offload is a result of two successful drug interdictions in the Caribbean since August 23. According to the Coast Guard: It first took place north of the Gulf of Uraba. But Galeota was convinced the cops were bluffing and refused to cooperate. Galeota's sheer size and mob connections are the only things keeping him from getting shivved in the dark. He paid for her to secretly get an abortion. 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. "This country is corrupt. The Dolls House, Via Espaia Road, Panama City, Panam, "They murdered a guy in here a couple of days ago" Tony Galeota, Tony Galeota: From Running Porky's, Miami's Most Notorious Strip Joint, to Rotting in a Panamanian Jail. ), The narcotics charge, however, still stands despite little evidence linking Galeota to the drugs. A narc I know called me with a tip and he said, This is the craziest true-crime caper Ive ever come across in my life. But instead of classical music, his specialty is sex. With dark hair and pale, wide-set eyes, teenage Tony resembled a stocky Frank Sinatra. "He was a smooth-talker. His school friends didn't believe him, so a few days later he sneaked out, stole his mom's minivan, and drove around the neighborhood loading up with other teens. Half an hour later, Galeota was guarding the door when a car rolled up with the window down. Theyre nice guys [the cartel members], and I didnt ask what they needed the submarine for., If they woke up and were hungry, they would fly a private jet to Cancun for lunch, says Tiller Russell, director of Operation Odessa. Then theyd roll to Venezuela to check out a new casino. This story has been shared 121,048 times. 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. Michael Galeota, who starred on the Disney Channel's "The Jersey" died Sunday, according to Variety. "The first month, we had $15,000 in gross sales. I gave each of my kids a Rolex when they were 5 years old. During the Doll House raid, they found marked bills in the register and several grams of pot on a promoter. Rats, roaches, and beetles the size of Chihuahuas crawl over inmates at night. Rising swiftly through the ranks, John buries his conscience to become a notorious Mafia hitman. And theyre like, F*** yeah, lets do it. But in South Florida, he was once a strip club king. "My wife could have left me. In the meantime, he's spending time with his wife and kids. A judge eventually dropped the human trafficking charge, but Galeota still rotted in his sordid cell alongside insects the size of small dogs. Kenyan court is shown vital evidence ignored by police two years after his arrest over 4.5m cocaine haul, Body armor-clad Cancun cops are 'suspended' after posing for pictures with topless tourists on the beach, Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Ken Bruce: 'I always wanted to be a radio presenter from about 15', Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' , updated June 4, 2013 "My father wasn't in the mob, but his friends were," Tony says. But in South Florida, he was once a strip club king. These interdiction's were part of Operation Martillo, an international operation to fight illegal trafficking. But when Galeota was arrested June 19, 2011, and charged with trafficking drugs and women, he was just as innocent as Stephen King's saintly inmate. "She would use shoe polish to change our driver's licenses so we could go to clubs and drink when we were 15. Miami's independent source of Tony Galeota Age And Family. Galeota is not exactly repentant. Jimmy Galeota has spent the last month-and-a-half grieving his older brother Michael's death - but perhaps the most difficult part of it all to swallow has been the bizarre circumstances that. This story has been shared 173,716 times. He needed some help," he recalls. His government protection would evaporate, the Doll House would be raided, his investments would be stolen, and he would be arrested. "They would describe what they looked like," Galeota says. Panamanian newspapers put "Operation Fiesta" on the front page as prosecutors alleged Galeota was part of an international crime ring. There was a spate of murders, several police raids, and a federal drug-trafficking trial. Yester, a highly regarded affiliate of multiple cocaine cartels, opened European markets for Colombian narco-terrorist Pablo Escobar and went on the run in 1990 after being charged with cocaine trafficking. More at IMDbPro Contact Info: View agent, publicist, legal on IMDbPro. Galeota has seen several murders. Log In or Sign Up Tonia Galeota See Photos Antonio Galeota See Photos Tony Galeota See Photos Toni Galea See Photos Toni Colletto See Photos Toni Torres Galea Furious and Busted Rick Cedar steals radios to support his family. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. We break down the best movies and series to watch in November in theaters and streaming. By then, the club's criminal clientele and Fainberg's increasingly lavish lifestyle had raised eyebrows. "I've been in this business my whole life. "Everybody give me your money!" They were all together when Tony worked for the Russin mobsters in Porky's club as its manager. Tony Galeota has a wife named Kristy Galeota, with whom he lives. the agent said. Kristy caught Tony cheating several times, she says. With Fainberg locked up, Porky's was Galeota's plaything. This looks great. . When Seidle died in 2008, Porky's political protection followed the 82-year-old to the grave. We've been here for two years!' Panamanian police had been casing the Doll House, Moulin Rouge, and another joint, called Havana Club, for weeks. "That clean, business-friendly, postcard-Panama bullshit is just a faade," Galeota says. While he, Tarzan and Juan were dealing with the Colombians and while Tony and Tarzan even got onto a Russian military naval base to tour a possible submarine for the deal the entire time the Cuban was planning to rip off the Colombians. Skip Ancestry main menu Main Menu "My wife can say she has regrets, but that's bullshit," he says. But Galeota's plan would soon go catastrophically wrong. "I lived it up in Miami," he says. Prostitution was so common at Porky's that the club had fixed places and prices, Galeota says. He paid for her to secretly get an abortion. But their courtship was cut short. "They shot him in the middle of the night," Galeota continues quietly, "and buried his body behind the pavilion.". "There was probably a lot more fun going on at Porky's than we even knew of," says one Hialeah police officer who asked not to be identified. The bartender hid in the bathroom and dialed 911. Galeota's sheer size and mob connections are the only things keeping him from getting shivved in the dark. "I was always looking for their approval," he says, "but I never got that. But when he opens a new club in Panama City, the competition isn't happy and frames him for drug dealing. Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida So I was literally stepping over dead bodies of the people who had been shanked and stuff over the course of the night.. See also: "From Porky's to Panamanian Prison: Web Extra.". His mother, Bonnie Gellilti, was "a bit of a criminal," Tony remembers. Instead, he's trapped in a labyrinthine legal system, alone and unable to speak Spanish. "That's obstruction of justice.". Galeota is one of several Americans locked up here. With dark hair and pale, wide-set eyes, teenage Tony resembled a stocky Frank Sinatra. At night, the guards lock the gate and leave, turning over control of each cell block to prisoners. or. As far as he was concerned, he owned the military base. She is cute and curvy with dark hair and a button nose. When he was 16, he knocked up his 15-year-old girlfriend at Hauppauge High School. But it bored him.