Claude Speed

**Claude Speed** (25 June 1973-) was an American career criminal and bank robber who was active across the United States throughout the 1990s until the early 2000s. He worked alongside Catalina Vialpando for several years after meeting her at street races in southern California in 1992, leaving with her to begin a series of robberies across the country throughout the decade. This series of robberies ended in 2001 when, Vialpando, Speed, Miguel Ramirez, and Ignacio Escarra robbed a bank in New York City, but during the robbery, Vialpando and Ramirez betrayed them, killing Escarra, and shooting Speed in the throat, rendering him mute. Following this, Speed would exact his revenge on Vialpando, taking down her, as well as several other gangs in the city before running away with his lover, Maria Latore.

## Biography

Claude Speed was born on June 25, 1973 in San Francisco, California. Despite being born mute, was raised surrounded in automotive culture, likely though family members or friends of his. During the 1980s, Speed purchased a garage, however it was heavily damaged in the 1989 San Francisco Earthquake, forcing him to move out to the countryside surrounding the city. Throughout the next several years, Speed continued racing cars in the city and in the country, and in 1992 would compete against Carl Johnson, losing to him and leaving with his girlfriend, and the ex girlfriend of Johnson, Catalina Vialpando. Throughout the 1990s, the pair would travel across the United States, robbing banks, stores, and other institutions. Along the way, the pair would be joined by Vialpando's cartel connected friends, Miguel Ramirez and Ignacio Escarra who would assist them on their robberies.

### Quest For Revenge

By 2001, the four reached New York City and planned a large scale heist in a Manhattan bank. The heist proved successful, however during the escape, Vialpando killed Escarra and proceeded to shoot Speed in the throat. After several weeks in the hospital, Speed was charged with armed robbery in October 2001. Speed was placed in a transport van with an older asian man, 8-Ball, and two NYPD officers and were driven through Manhattan, however upon entering onto the Brooklyn Bridge, the convoy was ambushed by members of the Vialpando Cartel. The cartel members held the officers and prisoners at gunpoint, taking the asian man with them as they had been hired to take this man. They left the remaining men on the bridge but dropped an explosive on the bridge before leaving. The device detonated, causing a massive explosion in the center of the bridge, causing it to collapse into the water below. The explosion killed the NYPD officers in the police cars and in the van, as well as another civilian who had exited their car to help the men, leaving 8-Ball and Speed to escape the wreck.

The two men drove in the civilian's car and drove to a small apartment in a Brooklyn apartment block, changing out of their prison jumpsuits into normal clothes. The two travelled to a strip club called Luigi's Sex Club 7. This club was owned by a man named Luigi Goterelli a mobster in the Leone Crime Family, and while 8-Ball went inside, Speed was given work by Goterelli, being instructed to pick up a prostitute from the hospital and return her to the club. Speed did this successfully, gaining the favor of Goterelli. Goterelli called Spped back on several occasions to eliminate a rival drug dealer, a couple of rival pimps, and other various jobs, including delivering Joey Leone' prostitute, Misty to his garage. During this meeting, Leone asked him to do some work for him, earning him another spot within the Leone Crime Family. Joey tasked Speed with dealing with the ongoing gang war with the Brooklyn Triads, particularly with Lee Chong, a drug dealer who had been trafficking a new narcotic through the streets called "Spank". Joey Leone introduced Speed to Toni Cipiani, a capo in the family, who instructs him to take him to a laundrette that the Leone's run, however the triads had taken over the shop and were waiting to ambush Cipriani. Narrowly escaping the triad ambush, Speed later killed Lee Chong and many other triad members, destroying their spank manufacturing plants and their distribution network.