Venero Mangano

Venero Frank "Benny Eggs" Mangano (September 7, 1921 – August 18, 2017) was an American criminal. He was the underboss of the Genovese crime family. Since boss Daniel "Danny the Lion" Leo was imprisoned in 2007, Mangano was the family's senior leader outside prison. The nickname "Benny Eggs" came from his mother running an egg farm. He was released from prison on November 2, 2006, after serving a 15-year sentence for extortion.

Windows case
From 1978 to 1990, four of the five crime families of New York formed a cartel of window replacement companies. The cartel eventually controlled over $150 million in contracts from the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).

Convictions
As a member of the Genovese crime family, Mangano had a notable criminal record;
 October 7, 1946 - Bookmaking - $50 fine
 May 15, 1947 - Bookmaking - $200 fine
 October 8, 1950 - Bookmaking - $200 fine and 60 days imprisonment
 February 21, 1961 - Bookmaking - $250 fine and 90 days imprisonment
 August 6, 1981 - Civil contempt for refusing to testify once granted immunity - incarcerated from August 18, 1981 to April 22, 1982.

After jail
In 1997, while still in prison, Mangano was called to testify against boss Gigante. He refused to testify, saying, "What do you want to do, shoot me?" and "Shoot me, but I'm not going to answer any questions".A Jailed Mobster Refuses To Testify in Mafia Case By Joseph P. Fried, July 19, 1997. New York Times He later took the witness stand, but refused to answer any questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights.

Death
Mangano died of congestive heart failure in New York City on August 18, 2017 at the age of 95.

References

More readings
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. 
Raab, Selwyn. Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2005. 

Category:1921 births
Category:2017 deaths
Category:American military personnel of World War II
Category:Five Families