Alphonse Malangone

Alphonse "Allie Shades" Malangone (b. December 2, 1936) is a New York City mobster and former caporegime in the Genovese crime family.

Early Days

Malangone grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and became an associate of Genovese soldier Vincent Romano, who had been a protege of former family powerhouse Joseph "Socks" Lanza. Lanza and the Romanos (Vincent and Carmine) controlled the Fulton Fish Market, located in downtown Manhattan. Malangone went to work in the Fish Market rackets with associate Rosario "Ross" Gangi, who would also become a family captain later. Malangone was inducted into the family sometime in the late-1970s, and began accepting payoffs from Fish Market vendors and trucking companies, and also began his own fish company with his son, Alphonse Jr.

Besides the extortion and his own fish business, Malangone made money at the Fish Market through bookmaking, loan sharking, no-show and no-work jobs, and union frauds. In order for a business to begin unloading at the market, payments were to be made to the Genovese mobsters.

Close Association With John Gotti

Malangone owned Pastels Nightclub, located in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The club was well-known for its mafioso clientele, which included Gambino capo and later boss John Gotti, who took a liking to Allie Shades. Gotti met Malangone through his close friend, Genovese soldier Joseph "Joe Glitz" Galizia, and the two wiseguys hit it off immediately. Galizia and Gotti had been partners in a Queens business, and both conspired and murdered fellow wiseguy Carlo DiPietro to take his share.

Promotion

In 1989, family boss Vincent "the Chin" Gigante promoted Malagone to capo of his own crew. Malangone's top soldier was Alan "Baldy" Longo, a Carroll Gardens mobster who was involved in loan sharking, bookmaking, stock frauds, and labor racketeering.

Malangone became one of the family's most important and powerful capos because he was in charge of the family's private sanitation rackets through his control of the Kings County Trade Waste Association and the Greater New York Waste Paper Association. Malangone and Gambino family capo James "Jimmy Brown" Failla were in charge of all of the garbage rackets in New York City, netting their families millions of dollars each year in protection and tribute money.

In 1995, Malangone was indicted on charges of controlling New York City's private waste industry through his close associate Frank Giovinco. The indictment resulted from an undercover operation that targeted Malangone and Failla, as well as Gambino soldier Joseph "Joe Duffy" Francolino.

Malangone was convicted and sent to prison.