 Welcome into the original gangsters podcast another quick hitter edition we're going to Brooklyn, New York where there's a federal racketeering trial going on right now the defendant the main defendant is Genovese crime family capo or reputed Genovese crime family capo Anthony Rominello who they call Ram but the story beneath the story here is how the ghost of tough Tony Federici seems to be looming over this trial from day one his name has been mentioned multiple times he passed away last year in November of 2022 lost about leukemia but Anthony Federici aka tough ton Anthony Federici aka tough Tony aka Tony Parkside is a legend in Corona Queens a guy that's name ring from burrow to burrow a guy that was incredibly well respected he was an earner he was allegedly a hitter he was a guy that you know checked all the boxes if you're talking about a gangster that's going to be revered in the in the five families pantheon and that's what tough Tony was very very respected as a capo and then eventually went into the administration later on in his life all this this racketeering trial with Rominello and his alleged bodyguard Joe Celso are accused of collecting a $90,000 debt from an Albanian restaurateur Bruno Salmonage Salamage who right now runs the club a steakhouse owns the club a steakhouse back in 2017 when the shakedown occurred or this extortion occurred he owned a steakhouse in Lincoln Square that I guess was a big hangout for Genovese crime family members including Rominello and Federici this this really had nothing to do with Bruno this had to do with Bruno's nephew and his nephew's brother-in-law who racked up a really big debt upwards of between 80 and 90 thousand dollars that they couldn't pay back to the the queen's cruise book book making network where there was another Albanian this guy brexit who is like a wannabe actor he was one of the book he's involved another Irish guy named Mike Reagan they all were underneath the the queen's Genovese umbrella these guys Bruno's nephew and nephew's brother-in-law bedding lost all this money couldn't collect it from them so Rominello and Federici decide that it's best to target Bruno because that's that he's got the pockets so in that first day of testimony this week Tough Tony's name was was brought up at least two or three times on the stand in relation to the shakedown you got to believe that if he was still alive he would have been at that defendants table with Rominello and Celso it's alleged that Rominello took over the that Chrono Queen's crew from Tough Tony when he got promoted to conciliary and you know Tough Tony in addition to having this reputation that was a you know a gold standard reputation in the mafia he was a very public figure people you know swear by the Parkside restaurant which was his place best Italian food in Chrono Queen's did an interview with with Vice just a couple years ago sitting at his restaurant talking about food with this British freelancer for Vice but his name came up twice both in regards to trying to collect this debt I guess the first time came from Mike Reagan the the Irish book bookie who approached Bruno and told him that he owed this money and that Tough Tony says hello and that was interpreted by Bruno who took the stand in the first day of trial to mean that Tough Tony Federici was asking for this money and that now the mafia was involved and that he was quote unquote being muscled over the next couple weeks and months Rominello began visiting Bruno they had known each other for 30 years I guess they were close friends but this was this was all business and Rominello insisted that Bruno pay the debt and in one of these occasions he says the next time you ain't going to see me here you're going to see Tough Tony you're going to see Tony Federici and that was all he needed to hear Rominello is caught on videotape taking a swing at him and connecting with his jaw and after making that comment about Tough Tony Federici coming to to see him next and within a couple of days I believe or within a week $90,000 was paid off to allegedly paid off to Rominello via Celso it was cobbled together I guess according to court testimony this week between $6,000 from Bruno about $35,000 from Bruno's brother Nino who I guess is an actor and was in the movie Hidden Gem with Hidden Gem with Adam Sandler and then $45,000 coming from the nephew's brother-in-law's dad but Tough Tony Federici the ghost of Tough Tony is haunting the courtroom I just wanted to give a quick breakdown of what's happened in that case the last couple days and both Bruno and Nino Selamage testified and Rominello's attorney the argument that he's making is that this was simply a personal beef between two friends meaning him and Bruno and that Bruno insulted him and that's what led to the punch and the assault not any gambling death we shall see but Tough Tony even though he's been dead for a year believe me people know who he is in that courtroom in Brooklyn right now so I just wanted to give everyone the update OG Pod Scott Bernstein