Joe Bruno's Mobsters - Six Volume Set

by Bruno, Joe

  May 29, 2012

  The simple fact is, Big Ang Raiola is the most likable character on the abominable television program Mob Wives. Due to this fact, the bad news is that the producers of Mob Wives - namely Jennifer Graziano, sister of Renee Graziano - have rewarded Big Ang with her own show on VH1. The good news is that Big Ang will be the only character from Mob Wives who will appear on this show.

  Thank God for small favors.

  Jeff Olde, EVP of original programming and production at VH1, was absolutely giddy when he said in a statement to the Huffington Post, “Ang is the definition of authentic. What you see is what you get, no apologies. She's enjoying life on her own terms -- and having had the pleasure of hanging out with Big Ang, her friends and family at “The Drunken Monkey,” I guarantee viewers are in for a real treat.”

  OK, so that we don’t get too confused here; “The Drunken Monkey” is not a sign of animal cruelty, but, in fact, Big Ang’s very own Staten Island bistro.

  Jennifer Graziano, who was recently hoodwinked into allowing her former brother-in-law, Hector “Junior” Pagan (ex-husband of Renee), to play a major part on Season Two of Mob Wives, is also producing The Big Ang Show. While on Mob Wives, Pagan was wired for sound by the FBI, and as a result, several alleged big-shot gangsters were arrested, including Pagan’s former father-in-law, Anthony Graziano. So it’s obvious Jennifer G isn’t exactly the cream of the crop of casting directors.

  Nevertheless, Jennifer G recently said to the Huffington Post, “I've known Big Ang since I was a kid and can always remember thinking, 'This woman is a star!’ It gives me great pleasure to be in the position to show the world what I have always seen in her. Big Ang was on my mind for 'Mob Wives' from the start -- I believe she was a great addition for Season Two and will be an even bigger force to reckon with on her own show! Watch out America ... it's Big Ang!”

  OK, let’s not get carried away here. Big Ang is a big force to be reckoned with because she’s so darn big - in every imaginable way. Her bra cup size is supposed to be a size “Triple J” (I didn’t know they made bras with letters that high), and her lips protrude so far out, you could put a billboard across them in two layers.

  Example:

  Top Lip – “The Monkey Bar.”

  Bottom Lip – “Staten Island’s Best Watering Hole.”

  Then the full address, including the phone number and area code.

  Believe me, it would all fit. No problem.

  On a recent show, Big Ang was asked why she had so much work done on her breasts and on her lips. In typical Big Ang-speak she said, “To attract da WICE-GUYS!”

  As long as The Big Ang Show keeps it light and merry and doesn’t give us the annoying “Drama Queen” story line of Mafia Wives, maybe this won’t be such a horrible show to watch. Big Ang is bright and breezy, and unlike the other ladies on Mob Wives, she goes through life with a smile and not a sneer on her huge lips. (Remember- Billboard Smile)

  The Big Ang Show could be sort of a remake of the megahit “Cheers,” where “The Drunken Monkey” is a joint where everyone knows your name. However, the fewer names mentioned at “The Drunken Monkey,” the better; since the place might be bugged by the Feds, and loose lips are known to sink ships, and wiseguys too.

  Happens all the time.

  Responses to: “Mob Wives Big Ang to Star in Her Own TV Show”

  The - What a SKANK!!

  Ern - One Awesome Lady!

  JB - Awesome - yes. Lady - I’m not so sure. If Big Ang ever gets someone in a headlock, with her arms, or even with her legs, the ballgame’s over.

  Ela - Sold drugs and wore an ankle bracelet? Hmmmmm......

  Ric - BIG DEAL! THIS SHOW COULD BE THE WORST!

  Ela - You mean the "worse"...

  Ric - NO WORST! LIKE IN LIVERWORST! LOL!

  Big Ang’s Son Arrested For Selling Drugs

  June 7, 2012

  Well, I guess it’s like mother like son. And in this case, that is not a very good thing.

  Big Ang Raiola, a star in VH1’s TV program Mob Wives, and soon to be the star of her own show called The Big Ang Show, pleaded guilty in 2003 to drug charges: selling cocaine to undercover officers. As a result, she got three years’ probation and four month’s house arrest.

  Now it’s her son – Anthony (A J) Donofrio - who’s in a pickle; and it’s the same pickle his mother was in.

  On Monday June 4, 2012, police barged into Big Ang’s bar “The Drunken Monkey” in Staten Island looking to arrest D'Onofrio for selling cocaine to an undercover agent. Donofrio was not on the premises at the time, but the following day he turned himself into the police.

  Donofrio and four other men were indicted on 50 felony counts; including selling drugs to undercover officers and telling these same officers where they could illegally buy the prescription drug oxycodone.

  “This was a long-term investigation,” assistant district attorney Timothy Gearon told the New York Post. “Over 700 oxycodone pills were sold and the price of that was close to $14,000.”

  Talk about dumb. You’d think the son would learn from his mother’s mistakes, but there seems to be very little brain power lurking around “The Drunken Monkey” these days, or on any day for that matter.

  To add to his problems, Donofrio is not a one-timer when it comes to breaking the law. In 2011, D'Onofrio was arrested for beating up a pal with a lead pipe. He also has a DUI on his record. Taking all this into consideration, a Brooklyn judge came down on Donofrio with a lead pipe of his own; making A. J.’s bail a whopping $200,000.

  Donofrio’s attorney Lance Lazzaro thought the bail was a tad excessive, especially for a man who claims he’s innocent.

  "He didn't do it," Lazzaro said after Donofrio’s arraignment. "He's denying it. I think we should wait to see what type of proof they've got before we rush to judgment."

  Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. But in cases concerning undercover cops buying drugs, there are usually taped conversations, and maybe even a photo, or moving picture or two to back up the arrest. So I find it hard to believe Donofrio will walk away from this case unscathed.

  In a Season Two episode of Mob Wives, Big Ang was shown taking her son to a jewelry store to buy him a few birthday presents. While the camera rolled, Big Ang bought her son a huge white gold crucifix and a whopping rope chain to go with it. She also bought herself a few baubles that would choke the proverbial horse. The amazing thing was the transaction was made entirely in cash, and there had to be thousands, or maybe even ten-thousands of dollars involved.

  While I was watching this, I said to myself, “Where does Big Ang get all this cash? And why not pay with a credit card, like any other normal human being would do?”

  If the police are to be believed about Donofrio’s alleged cocaine-selling involvements, I guess the answer is self-evident. People don’t usually buy cocaine, or sell cocaine using credit cards - now do they? That is definitely a cash-only business.

  Or maybe Big Ang and son won the money betting fast horses at the track.

  Anyone who believes that, I have a condo in Iraq to sell them.

  PS - You have to wonder if Hector "Junior" Pagan blew the whistle on his former Mob Wives co-star: Big Ang’s son AJ Donofrio. When someone goes over to Team America they are required to tell the Feds everything they know about anyone they know who may have committed crimes. This is all conjecture, but it is interesting that Pagan became a rat, and now someone connected to the show Mob Wives was arrested for committing a crime.

  It could all be a coincidence, but…

  Responses to “Big Ang’s son Arrested For Selling Drugs”

  Car - "Big fan of the show; Big Ang is the sweetest one of them all."

  Big Ang’s Son Gets His Bail Reduced

  June 11, 2012

  Just two days after Judge Mark Dwyer hit Big Ang Raiola’s son Anthony (AJ) Donofrio with a whopping $200,000 bail after his arrest for selling narcotics, the judge had a change of heart.

&nbs
p; Your honor reduced the bail to a paltry $15,000 ($1,500 in cash required); pocket change for Big Ang, who recently bought jewelry for herself and her son, and paid for it with a cash roll almost as big as Big Ang herself.

  It seems that Judge Dwyer had never heard of the show Mob Wives, and didn’t realize the prosecutors had asked for such a high bail because of the notoriety of the show and its participants.

  "Oh, that's the case everyone is talking about," Judge Dwyer told the New York Post. "I'm the only person who doesn't know anything about this."

  The show Mob Wives is so shamelessly bad, the judge should be thankful for small favors.

  As was written previously in this blog, Donofrio and four other men were indicted on 50 felony counts; including the sale of cocaine, and for steering undercover officers to associates who could sell them the prescription drug oxycodone. After the original bail was set, Donofrio’s lawyer Lance Lazarro had a spit fit - claiming the bail was ridiculously high because of Big Ang’s notoriety on Mob Wives, and because Donofrio had also appeared several times on the program. Apparently, in light of present circumstances, the bail requested by prosecutor Timothy Gearon and originally agreed to by the judge, was excessively high, and reserved for the most egregious of criminals.

  The strange thing about this whole spectacle is that both times her son appeared before the judge, Big Ang, who pleaded guilty in 2003 to drug charges herself, was conspicuous by her absence.

  Maybe Big Ang was afraid she’d get flashbacks about her own past legal problems if she showed her face anywhere near a courtroom.

  Or maybe Big Ang is just pissed at her son for being so stupid as to follow in his mother’s footsteps.

  The latter sounds more likely.

  Responses to “Big Ang’s Son Gets His Bail Reduced”

  And – Sad.

  Jen - As an owner of a bar myself, you are in a cash business so you tend to pay for things with cash. If you remember, she told the jeweler she would be back to pay it off. This would probably be after she made more money at the bar.

  JB - Jen, what you say is a possibility. But I owned a bar, too, in upstate New York (Middletown). I paid for everything by check, not cash. The State Liquor Authority frowns on liquor license owners paying with cash, since they feel if you pay cash for stock, or for supplies, you’re under-reporting your income and cheating the government out of taxes, which is a crime too.

  When a bar owner pays cash for almost anything, my devious mind automatically thinks this is money, for whatever reason, that wasn’t rung up on the cash register.

  And with Big Ang’s criminal record, how did she get a New York state liquor license anyway? The license must be under someone else’s name.

  Nicky Santora to Plead Guilty – Hector “Junior” Pagan off the Hook

  July 3, 2012

  Like I said in a previous blog; some guys have all the luck.

  According to an article in the New York Post, Nicholas “Nicky Mouth” Santora has finally agreed to a plea deal that will prevent his racketeering case from going to trial. Santora is expected to appear before the judge soon and admit he took part in a “loan-sharking shakedown.”

  This means that former Mob Wives star Junior “Hector” Pagan, who recorded more than 70 conversations with Santoro for Team America, will not have to show his ugly face in court.

  Pagan, who was once married to Mob Wives’ Renee Graziano, not only taped Santoro, but also several other alleged wiseguys, one of whom was his own former father-in-law, Anthony “TG” Graziano, Renee’s father. Graziano has already agreed to a plea deal that will net him around two years in prison. In addition, all the other defendants in the case have also made deals with the government, which means Pagan will not have to sit eye-to-eye in a courtroom and testify against the men he so cowardly betrayed.

  In all likelihood, Pagan will get little or no jail time for several crimes he committed, including allegedly taking part in a robbery that resulted in the death of James Donovan. Soon, Pagan will be enjoying the benefits of the Witness Protection Program, including a new life in a new locale, far away from New York City.

  What a deal!

  I can see him soon sitting on a beach somewhere, sipping an umbrella drink, with a smirk on his face, knowing he beat the system and beat it good.

  The moral of the story is that if you croon a good enough tune for the government – you can get away with almost everything, including murder.

  No wonder so many so-called knock-around guys are tuning up their vocal cords. The better aria they warble for the Feds the less time they will have to do in prison – if they have to do any time at all.

  What a sick joke on society.

  Responses to: “Nicky Santora to Plead Guilty – Hector ‘Junior’ Pagan Off the Hook”

  Kat – I hear Junior was REJECTED by WitSec (Witness Protection Program) for what else, lying.

  JB – Kat, I can find no confirmation that Junior was rejected by the Witness Protection Program. But, with his history of violence, I wouldn’t be surprised if that eventually happened.

  Chr – Hector needs to be shot like they did in the old days.

  Deb –Joe, is anyone monitoring the Feds – the FBI?

  JB – You would think the Department of Justice headed by Attorney General Eric Holder would be monitoring the actions of the FBI. But these days, considering all that’s going on with Holder and the “Fast and Furious” gunrunning disaster, one can never be sure.

  Aftermath:

  As of the final edit of this book, the Hector “Junior” Pagan saga as a government informant has run its course. All the men whom Pagan taped for the Feds have pleaded guilty, including Pagan’s ex-father-in-law, Anthony Graziano, Nicky Santora, and Vinny (Vinny TV) Badalamenti. By taking their plea deals, these men are all facing approximately two-three years in prison, which these hard men, who are used to these sorts of things, can do standing on their heads.

  Pagan, now knowing he won’t have to testify in court, is in the wind somewhere in the Witness Protection Program, and you can bet the ranch he won’t set foot in the New York/New Jersey area again.

  No more Renee Graziano for him (for sure), and if Pagan’s son AJ is smart, if his father ever tries to contact him, AJ should tell his dad to take a long walk off a short pier.

  Cheap crooks like Pagan hardly ever change their stripes. Sammy “The Bull” Gravano got a slap on the wrist from the government after he helped them put away mob boss John Gotti for life. This was in spite of the fact Gravano admitted to taking part in 19 murders. The Feds relocated Gravano to Arizona, under the guise of him being a successful construction-business owner, and in no time, Gravano slithered back into a life of crime; selling drugs with his wife, his son, and his daughter Karen. And there are countless other stories like Gravano’s, where crooks in the Witness Protection Program have gone back to being crooks because it’s the only life they know.

  The bottom line is this: criminal activities are in men like Pagan’s blood. And it’s naïve for the government to think Pagan will stay on the straight and narrow, after he does what little time the government awards him in prison, if Pagan gets any time at all.

  You can be sure that within a month, a year, or maybe a few years after he splits the can, Pagan will get himself arrested for committing a crime – hopefully not a violent crime – which he is wont to commit. Pagan, being the vile and the crooked creature that he is, will wind up back in prison, and when that happens, he better live with his back constantly against the wall.

  Rats are hated in prison, more than they are hated on the streets; the reason being – most of the men in prison are there because someone turned state’s evidence against them in order to get a better deal from the government. And these incarcerated men will take out their frustrations on guys like Pagan – men who violated the most sacred covenant of the streets: never tattle on your friends.

  When Pagan gets what’s coming to him, and there’s no doubt that day will come, there
will be more than a few smiles on the faces of people involved in organized crime, or any type of crime, for that matter.

  Rats, canaries, stool pigeons, and informers always get their due.

  That is the law of the streets since crime was invented and will remain so until the end of time.

  BREAKING NEWS!!

  Hector “Junior” Pagan Lied to the FBI – His Witness Protection Program in Jeopardy

  This proves there is a God.

  Just as this book was going to press, a bombshell went off that blasted the FBI and Hector “Junior” Pagan’s rat-deal to smithereens.

  The rules of the FBI-rat-program plea-deal specifically state when you agree to become an informant, you have to tell the Feds your precise involvement with all the other crimes you have committed. Apparently, Pagan violated the rules of his deal when he forgot to tell the Feds he was the shooter in the robbery-gone-awry murder of James Donovan.

  Not only did Pagan not tell the Feds he was the actual shooter, but he said that the shooter was his co-conspirator Richard Riccardi, who along with Luigi Grasso and Pagan, cornered Donovan in a Brooklyn body shop and demanded he turn over a reported “tens of thousands of dollars” he had on him. When Donovan balked at giving up his money, he was shot in the femoral artery and bled to death. The thugs reportedly took Donovan’s money, while Donovan was bleeding, and split it later.

  However, security cameras in a Key Food store across the street from the body shop conclusively show that Riccardi never left his car, and that Pagan and Grasso were the men who actually confronted Donovan.

  This startling revelation may not only KO Pagan’s deal with the government, but also result in alleged Bonanno Crime boss Vincent “Vinny TV” Badalamenti walking out of court a free man. It seems that, based on Pagan’s treachery, Badalamenti agreed to a plea deal which would have netted him two years in the slammer. Now with Pagan’s truthfulness in doubt, Badalamenti’s plea deal could be nullified, according to his attorney Ronald Fischetti.